Luzerne County man found guilty of drug trafficking and firearm offenses (DOJ)

SCRANTON - The United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Ras Dalmar Johnson, 30, of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, was found guilty by a jury on drug trafficking and a firearms charge.

According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, on October 16, 2026, following a four day trial, a jury found Johnson guilty of distributing methamphetamine and fentanyl in Wilkes-Barre on November 29, 2023, and guilty of possessing with intent to distribute over 400 grams of fentanyl, over 50 grams of methamphetamine and amounts of cocaine and marijuana on February 1, 2024. The jury also found Johnson guilty of illegally possessing a firearm on February 1, 2024. At the time of the crimes, Johnson was on state parole for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and was a fugitive based upon parole violations.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General- Bureau of Narcotics and the Wilkes-Barre City police Department investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorneys Patrick Bannon and Jenny P. Roberts prosecuted the case.

Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice's nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys' offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department's commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump's Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.

The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is life imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine.

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