According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Handy conspired to distribute more than 28 grams of crack cocaine and 4.2 grams of heroin (approximately 168 individual doses of heroin) between December 2014 and January 2015, in Lycoming County.  Handy was designated a career offender due to three prior felony convictions for drug offenses.

The case was investigated by the Williamsport Police Department, Lycoming County District Attorney’s Office, the Lycoming County Narcotics Enforcement Unit, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Safe Streets Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Alisan V. Martin prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

This case was also 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.