Two Bartonsville residents who pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges in incidents that resulted in three deaths were sentenced last week in U.S. Middle District of Pennsylvania court.

The U.S. Department of Justice reported James P. Cullen V., 32, and Michelle Lindsay Ferranti, 33, were sentenced to 25 and 20 years in prison, respectively, by District Judge Julia K. Munley.

According to U.S. Attorney Brian D. Miller, Cullen and Ferranti participated in a conspiracy to traffic in fentanyl, resulting in three deaths.

Acting special agent in charge Nathan Abel of the Homeland Security Investigations Philadelphia office, said, “Cullen and Ferranti used the dark web, cryptocurrency and the U.S. mail to distribute deadly fentanyl into communities across the country, and three people lost their lives as a result. Today’s sentences reflect the seriousness of their crimes and the strength of HSI Philadelphia’s partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. HSI will continue working with our federal, state and local partners to identify and dismantle drug trafficking networks wherever they operate, online or off, and to seek justice for the victims and families devastated by these crimes.”

This case was the result of a joint investigation between HIS and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service into a darknet vendor who was engaged in the sale of opioids over the Internet. The opioids were sold in exchange for cryptocurrency and then distributed via the U.S. mail. The various parcels containing drugs were sent from locations in Monroe County.

Beginning in October of 2022, undercover agents conducted various purchases from the darknet vendor which were seized and later searched and found to contain fentanyl.

During the course of the investigation, law enforcement determined the darknet vendor profile was being run by codefendants Cullen and Ferranti. In February of 2023, undercover agents executed a search warrant at the Cullen/Ferranti residence and recovered U.S. currency, various electronic devices, drug ledgers consistent with narcotics distribution, cryptocurrency cold storage wallets, and controlled substances themselves.

Law enforcement identified almost 1,000 entries in the drug ledgers, dating back to the summer of 2021, mailed to 49 states and various countries overseas. Upon seizing Cullen and Ferranti’s drug ledgers, law enforcement was able to further their investigation to connect shipments that were mailed out to three different people in three different states who ultimately died as a result of overdosing on the drugs that Cullen and Ferranti distributed.