Indiana, Pa. man sentenced to five years in federal prison for drug trafficking

JOHNSTOWN, PA (EYT) — Lamar Johnson, 42, of Indiana, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced to five years in federal prison after pleading guilty to drug trafficking in a federal court in Johnstown, according to a press release from U.S. Attorney Eric G. Olshan.

Johnson pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Kim R. Gibson and admitted to a drug trafficking conspiracy that ran from August 2018 to March 2023. During this period, Johnson conspired with others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine, as well as quantities of heroin and crack cocaine, the press release said.

Evidence presented in court, including federal wiretapping, showed that Johnson was actively involved in obtaining and distributing the illegal substances.

After Gibson pleaded guilty, Judge Gibson sentenced him to 60 months in prison, followed by four years of probation.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Arnold P. Bernard Jr., with the investigation led by the Laurel Highlands Resident Agency and the FBI’s Homeland Security Investigations. Other agencies involved in the investigation included the Internal Revenue Service–Criminal Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and several local law enforcement agencies.

According to the press release, Johnson’s prosecution is part of an investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), which targets high-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations using a multidisciplinary approach.