California Couple Pleads Guilty To Methamphetamine And Fentanyl Trafficking

SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Bryce Stanger, age 34, and Tanya Stanger, age 33, of San Yisidro, California, pleaded guilty on April 11, 2023, before U.S. District Court Chief Judge Matthew W. Brann, to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Bryce and Tanya Stanger admitted to conspiring to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine and more than 400 grams of fentanyl.  The charge stems from an incident on August 25, 2021, in which members of the Pennsylvania State Police made a traffic stop of a vehicle in Union County.  Bryce and Tanya Stanger were the occupants of the vehicle.  A subsequent search of the vehicle resulted in the seizure of approximately thirty pounds of crystal methamphetamine and a kilogram of fentanyl. 

The investigation was conducted by the Pennsylvania State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigations Safe Street Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O’Hara is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

The charges carry a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in prison.  The maximum penalty under federal law is up to life in prison, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

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