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A federal judge in Scranton, Pennsylvania sentenced two co-defendants for a fentanyl trafficking conspiracy that led to three deaths. James P. Cullen, V., 32, received 25 years in prison; Michelle Lindsay Ferranti, 33, received 20 years, with both sentences followed by a term of supervised release. Both are from Bartonsville, Pennsylvania, and both had previously pleaded guilty.
The case began as a joint investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service into a darknet vendor selling opioids online in exchange for cryptocurrency, then shipping them through the U.S. Mail. Starting in October 2022, undercover agents made a series of purchases from the vendor; lab testing confirmed the packages contained fentanyl. Investigators eventually traced the darknet vendor profile back to Cullen and Ferranti.
In February 2023, agents executed a search warrant at the pair’s residence and recovered cash, electronic devices, drug ledgers, and cryptocurrency cold storage wallets. Those ledgers documented nearly 1,000 entries dating back to summer 2021, tracking shipments mailed to 49 states and multiple countries overseas. Cross-referencing that record let investigators connect specific shipments to three overdose deaths in three separate states.
HSI and USPIS officials said the sentences reflect the seriousness of using the dark web, cryptocurrency, and the mail system to distribute fentanyl, and credited close coordination between the two agencies and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania in building the case. Officials added that identifying and dismantling trafficking networks — whether they operate online or through traditional channels — remains a continuing priority for both agencies.
Read the full release from the DOJ, Middle District of Pennsylvania here.
Penlink, a leading provider of digital intelligence solutions for law enforcement, national security, defense and enterprise organizations, announced today that Training Manager Brittany Hansen was presented with the Patriot Award from the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of War program.
The Department of Homeland Security announced the results of a nationwide crackdown on human trafficking coordinated around the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking, and federal, state, and local partners arrested 905 suspects and rescued 180 victims — 150 adults and 30 juveniles — across World Cup host cities.
The U.S. Marshals Service announced the conclusion of Operation Meridian, a month-long, multi-agency effort that located and recovered 79 reported missing and endangered children across Ohio, ranging in age from 6 to 17. Officials described it as the largest missing child operation in the state’s history.
A multi-agency investigation in Volusia County, Florida, has led to the dismantling of a major fentanyl and methamphetamine trafficking network, with 49 people arrested and hundreds of grams of narcotics seized.
The Nebraska State Patrol says a routine traffic stop earlier this month led to what investigators believe is the largest drug seizure in the agency’s history. Governor Jim Pillen joined NSP to detail the case, along with a second, unrelated stop that turned up stolen commercial equipment.
Foreign influence campaigns increasingly pair disinformation with cyber intrusion. This post looks at what that convergence means for investigators tracking coordinated state-linked activity.