The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that John Nester, 54, of Tobyhanna, was indicted by a federal grand jury for drug trafficking and firearm offenses.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment charges Nester with possessing with the intent to distribute fentanyl, possessing a firearm in furtherance of that drug trafficking crime, and being a felon in possession of a firearm on June 19, 2024, in Monroe County.

The matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Pocono Mountain Regional Police, and the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney James M. Buchanan is prosecuting 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.