New Castle Felon Sentenced to More Than 6.5 Years in Prison for Trafficking of Fentanyl, Heroin, and Cocaine and Illegal Possession of Firearm

PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of New Castle, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 80 months in prison, to be followed by six years of supervised release, on his conviction of drug trafficking and firearm crimes as part of a Homeland Security Task Force prosecution, United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.

United States District Judge Robert J. Colville imposed the sentence on Jauan Searcy, 44, who, in July 2025, pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine between August 2023 and August 2024, and to possessing a firearm following a felony conviction.

According to information presented to the Court, Searcy-who had previously been convicted of a felony-was part of a drug trafficking conspiracy that was based in Detroit and in New Castle. Searcy participated in the conspiracy by retailing controlled substances to his customers in the New Castle area. When law enforcement arrested Searcy at his New Castle residence on August 1, 2024, following his federal indictment, agents found a shotgun next to Searcy's bed. Federal law prohibits possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon.

Assistant United States Attorney Craig W. Haller prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States.

United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Lawrence County Drug Task Force, New Castle Police Department, Michigan State Police, Pennsylvania State Police, Mercer County Drug Task Force, United States Postal Inspection Service, Department of Homeland Security, and Douglas County (Nebraska) Sheriff's Office for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Searcy.

This prosecution was part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement toward identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations that have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.