SCRANTON, PA — The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that on March 3, 2023, United States District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani sentenced brothers Jose Raymer Tejeda, age 38, and Edwin Tejeda, age 32, to 188 months of imprisonment each, for running a fentanyl and cocaine trafficking conspiracy. Both men were residents of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, prior to being incarcerated on the instant offenses.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the Tejeda brothers previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute cocaine and 400 grams and more of fentanyl, which resulted in death. The Tejeda brothers operated the conspiracy to distribute significant quantities of fentanyl and cocaine in the Wilkes-Barre region and elsewhere, between approximately January 2016 and February 2020. On September 19, 2019, James Garris, Jr., a drug dealer in the Tejeda brothers’ drug trafficking organization, distributed fentanyl to James Tindol, Jr., who subsequently distributed the fentanyl to an individual identified as A.V. Shortly after ingesting the fentanyl, A.V. overdosed and died.
In addition to Edwin Tejeda and Jose Raymer Tejeda, five other former Luzerne County men associated with their drug trafficking organization have been charged and convicted in the broader investigation, for various fentanyl, cocaine, and tramadol trafficking offenses, including fentanyl trafficking that resulted in death:
- Emilio Tejeda, age 33, a third brother, formerly of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 57 months of imprisonment after pleading guilty to conspiring to distribute fentanyl;
- James Tindol, Jr., age 38, formerly of Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 120 months of imprisonment after pleading guilty to distributing fentanyl that resulted in death;
- James Garris, Jr., age 52, formerly of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 168 months of imprisonment after pleading guilty to distributing fentanyl that resulted in death;
- Kearon Brinson, age 41, formerly of West Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 41 months of imprisonment after pleading guilty to conspiring to distribute fentanyl and marijuana; and
- Lamont Hubbard, age 50, formerly of Plymouth, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to a time-served term of approximately 26 months after pleading guilty to conspiring to distribute fentanyl and marijuana.
As part of the sentencings, Judge Mariani ordered forfeiture of over $25,000, and various firearms, ammunition, and property seized during the investigation.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Luzerne Country Drug Task Force, and the Kingston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip J. Caraballo prosecuted the case.
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