Date: May 22, 2025
Contact: [email protected]
Johnstown, PA - A resident of Altoona, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 46 months of imprisonment, to be followed by two years of supervised release, on his conviction for violating federal narcotics laws related to a six-month Title III wiretap investigation into drug trafficking in and around Blair, Cambria, Centre, and Clearfield counties, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
United States District Judge Stephanie L. Haines imposed the sentence on Andrew Stowell.
According to information presented to the Court, Stowell was part of an Altoona-based drug trafficking organization (DTO) and, on December 12, 2022, sold a quarter-pound of methamphetamine to an undercover police officer on behalf of the leader of that DTO.
Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan D. Lusty prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
Acting United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, United States Postal Service–Office of Inspector General, United States Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, and Pennsylvania State Police for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Stowell.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
IRS-CI is the criminal investigative arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money-laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. IRS-CI special agents are the only federal law enforcement agents with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code, obtaining a 90% federal conviction rate. The agency has 20 field offices located across the U.S. and 14 attaché posts abroad.