SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Tyrell Donta Ravenell, a/k/a “Beast,” age 36, of Wind Gap, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on November 28, 2023, by U.S. District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion to a term of 14 years’ imprisonment for his role in a fentanyl drug trafficking conspiracy.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Ravenell previously pleaded guilty to a drug trafficking conspiracy on August 9, 2023, and admitted that beginning in 2018 and continuing to the time of indictment in June 2023, he conspired with others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute at least 400 grams but less than 1.2 kilograms of fentanyl throughout Northampton and Monroe Counties. Ravenell’s sentence was also enhanced because he unlawfully possessed firearms in relation to his drug trafficking.
Judge Mannion also ordered Ravenell to serve a term of five years of supervised release following release from custody.
This case was jointly investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Scranton and the Pennsylvania State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Olshefski 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 and other opioids. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin and opioid 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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