Hazleton man indicted on drug, weapons charges
Apr. 15—A federal grand jury indicted a Hazleton man on drug trafficking and firearms charges Tuesday, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania in Scranton said.
Michael Shirley, 28, was indicted on charges of distributing fentanyl and methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine, U.S. Attorney Bruce D. Brandler said in a release.
Shirley possessed two firearms, including a 5.56-caliber rifle, and had been previously convicted of felony possession of weapons.
Shirley faced firearms charges after a shooting on East Green Street in Hazleton in July 2015, in which one man was struck, and was sentenced to two years probation on weapons charges.
State police, as well as the Federal Bureau of Investigations, were involved in the investigation, and U.S. Attorney James Buchanan is prosecuting.
The case was part of an initiative to crack down on heroin traffickers led by the U.S. Attorney's Office in coordination with local, state and federal authorities.
The case is also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, which the Department of Justice reinvigorated in 2017 as part of a renewed focus targeting violent criminals.
The maximum penalty under federal law for the offenses is life imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment and a fine.
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