SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Shakier Jamean Kingsley, age 31, of Allentown, Pennsylvania, was sentenced yesterday to 180 months’ imprisonment to be followed by 5 years on supervised release by U.S. District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion, for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Kingsley was encountered by the Pennsylvania State Police while driving on State Route 901, Barry Township, Pennsylvania. When police attempted to pull Kingsley’s vehicle over, he refused to stop resulting in a highspeed chase. Kingsley drove his vehicle along various roads near and through Minersville Borough placing the public at risk. During the chase police witnessed Kingsley’s passenger throw several objects out of the passenger side window of the vehicle. Kingsley’s vehicle was eventually stopped using spike strips which disabled his vehicle. During the chase, at least two stationary vehicles were struck by Kingsley, and a police cruiser was damaged when it collided with Kingsley’s vehicle to stop him. Police retraced the route and discovered that Kingsley’s passenger had thrown more than 500 grams of fentanyl and heroin and two loaded firearms out the car’s window during the pursuit.
The case was investigated by the DEA and the Pennsylvania State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samuel Dalke and Todd K. Hinkley prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit heroin related offenses.
This case is also 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.
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