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WILKES-BARRE &mdash; An investigation that begun with only having initials of a drug dealer resulted in 11 people being indicted by a federal grand jury on charges they were trafficking large amounts of heroin, fentanyl and crack cocaine to the region, specifically Wilkes-Barre.
				&ldquo;There is no county in the Middle District of Pennsylvania that has been hit harder by heroin, fentanyl and the opioid crisis than Luzerne County,&rdquo; U.S. Attorney David J. Freed said at a news conference held Wednesday outside the Wilkes-Barre Police Department.
				Freed was joined by Luzerne County District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis, Wyoming County District Attorney Jeffrey Mitchell and several police chiefs and drug agents to announce the results of the undercover and year long investigation.
				Indicted and in custody are:
				&#8226; Robert Thompson, 44, also known as &ldquo;Jeffrey Parker,&rdquo; of Pittston.
				&#8226; Tysheen Gott, known as &ldquo;L.B.&rdquo; of Wilkes-Barre.
				&#8226; Damien Julmal Navarro, 25, of Wilkes-Barre.
				&#8226; Jean Almonor, 44, of Wilkes-Barre.
				&#8226; Amanda McPhillips, 36, of Scranton.
				&#8226; Anthony Quamaine Brown, 37, of Scranton.
				&#8226; Juliette Grayson, 44, of Plymouth.
				&#8226; Nicole Ann Bozek, 31, of Scranton.
				&#8226; Susan Marie Kimsel, 40, of Exeter.
				&#8226; Aisha Maria Stephens, 39, of Wilkes-Barre.
				Indicted but not in custody is:
				&#8226; Tariek Henson, Mitchell, 32, of Plymouth.
				Freed said Mitchell is aware he is facing federal drug trafficking charges and has been in contact with law enforcement.
				A federal grand jury indicted the 11 people. The indictment was unsealed on Tuesday.
				Freed said the investigation began in Wyoming County when James Eugene Rought, 32, of Tunkhannock, was federally charged with distributing fentanyl that resulted in the death of one person and injured another person on Aug. 16, 2018.
				From that criminal case, Freed said investigators became aware of a person only by having the initials to his name.
				&ldquo;This investigation is a continuation of a case that started with a tip and information from the office of my long time friend and colleague Jeffrey Mitchell, district attorney in Wyoming County,&rdquo; Freed said.
				&ldquo;That collaborate investigation with Wyoming County and federal authorities led to the successful prosecution of James Rought for drug delivery resulting in death and with a conviction in federal court.
				&ldquo;Information gained in that investigation led to this investigation and these charges was simply a reference to L.B. as the source of drugs. That was it, two letters, L.B.,&rdquo; Freed stated.
				Freed said investigators were approved to monitor the phone calls and text messages of those eventually indicted.
				&ldquo;This indictment is a testament to the courage and focus of our members of law enforcement whom despite uncertain and perilous times never lost sight of another deadly epidemic scourging our community,&rdquo; Salavantis said. &ldquo;On behalf of our entire office, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to U.S. Attorney David Freed, Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Olshefski and the FBI for their unwavering assistance in the investigation and prosecution of dealers, drug dealers that poison our communities.
				&ldquo;The cooperation of all the departments involved in this case cannot be overstated. The modern reality is that dealing with the fatal substances knows know boundaries. It crosses municipal, county and state borders,&rdquo; Salavantis noted.
				Freed said four vehicles, 150 bricks of heroin with each brick containing 100 packets, 15 cellular phones, two firearms and nearly $23,000 were seized.

Prosecutors announce federal indictments against 11 people on drug trafficking offenses