Wilkes-Barre man sentenced to 15 years for fentanyl trafficking

Scranton, Pa. — A man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for trafficking fentanyl in northeastern Pennsylvania.

Kevin Jones, aka “Hat,” 40, formerly of Wilkes-Barre, was sentenced on Oct. 23 on the charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.

Jones was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl after a four-day jury trial before Judge Mannion in June 2024. Jones was one of fifteen individuals indicted in February 2023 for conspiring to distribute fentanyl in northeastern Pennsylvania and elsewhere, according to a news release.

Jones and his co-conspirators obtained pills containing fentanyl via the mail from co-conspirators in Arizona. Jones and his co-conspirators then distributed the pills in Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, and other locations in northeastern Pennsylvania, as well as other states, the US Attorney's Office said.

At trial, the Government presented testimony from six of Jones’s co-conspirators. FBI investigators, the Wilkes-Barre Police Department, and the United States Postal Inspection Service also testified.

To date, thirteen co-defendants have pleaded guilty. Some are still awaiting sentencing.