A Monroe County man was sentenced to one year in prison for distributing a “designer drug,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced.

U.S. District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani sentenced Fausto Hernandez, 44, of Tobyhanna, on Wednesday.

According to U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Hernandez previously pleaded guilty and admitted to distributing a “designer drug” known as “4-chloroethcathinone,” often referred to as “4-CEC,” a controlled substance analog which mimics the effects of other drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamine, in the Monroe County area in June and July 2019.

Under federal law, such “designer drugs” are controlled substance analogues, which are chemically similar to controlled substances.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Pocono Mountain Regional Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. O’Hara prosecuted the case.