Montgomery Twp. man draws prison for role in meth ring
NORRISTOWN » A Montgomery Township man was sent to prison after he admitted to his role in a multi-state methamphetamine and marijuana trafficking ring that used the U.S. Postal Service to carry out the drug crimes.
Brian Justin Holt, 44, who listed addresses in the 600 block of North Redwood Court and in the 100 block of Drayton Circle, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to 3 to 10 years in a state correctional facility in connection with incidents that occurred between April 2016 and November 2018.
The sentenced was imposed by Judge William R. Carpenter.
Holt previously pleaded guilty to charges of corrupt organizations, possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine and ketamine, dealing in proceeds of unlawful acts and criminal
use of a communication facility in connection with the incidents.
With the charges, prosecutors alleged Holt, who also once lived along Annasmead Road in Lower Gwynedd Township, was one of the leaders of the drug trafficking network.
A second leader of the corrupt organization, Lorraine Yvonne Zeno, 37, of the 600 block of Ardross Avenue, Upper Dublin, previously pleaded guilty to similar drug-related charges and is awaiting sentencing.
Leonardo Christian Fernandez, 35, of Monrovia, Calif., one of three California sources of the drug, previously was sentenced to 9 to 18 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to drugrelated charges.
Fernandez, Zeno and Holt, authorities said, were part of “The Big Five” involved in the trafficking ring. Two other men from California also were charged in connection with the drug ring.
At the time of the arrests, District Attorney Kevin R. Steele alleged members of the drug trafficking organization mailed packages of crystal methamphetamine and marijuana, using the U.S. Postal Service, from California to Zeno and Holt in Montgomery County since at least April 2016.
“The investigation revealed that Mr. Holt and Lorraine Zeno were receiving shipments from California into Montgomery County and then selling shipments of methamphetamine at the pound levels,” explained Assistant District Attorney Samantha Thompson.
Thompson sought a state prison sentence against Holt.
“It shows a deterrent message to individuals who are attempting to traffic methamphetamine throughout Montgomery County, especially those trying to do it through the U.S. Postal Service,” said Thompson, explaining the significance
of the state prison sentence.
Holt was represented by defense lawyer Fortunato N. Perri Jr., of Philadelphia.
During the joint investigation that involved law enforcement from Pennsylvania, California and New Jersey, authorities identified more than 350 pounds of crystal methamphetamine and marijuana that was sent in multiple shipments, according to court documents. Investigators shut down the organization operating in Pennsylvania and worked their way back to the suppliers in California.
The investigation began in 2016 when the U.S. Postal Inspection Service identified and intercepted a suspicious parcel being shipped from California to Montgomery County, according to court documents. Investigators said the parcel contained about one pound of crystal meth.
Investigators subsequently uncovered crosscountry shipments of bulk quantities of methamphetamine and marijuana to members of the Zeno and Holt drug trafficking organization. Authorities alleged the shipments received were then sold to other drug dealers and individuals in Montgomery and Bucks counties and Philadelphia.
The corrupt organization headed by Zeno and Holt then sent the illegal proceeds for the drugs to those allegedly involved in California, according to the criminal complaint.
The investigation involved the use of court-authorized wiretaps on the phones of Zeno and Holt, which helped identify the California suppliers.
“The investigation spanned several years and it involved a lot of hard work,” said Thompson, who praised county detectives and U.S. Postal Service officials for dismantling the drug organization.
Investigators also learned the identities of Zeno and Holt’s methamphetamine customers, some of whom also distributed the drug and assisted Zeno and Holt with receiving the drugs at locations referred to as “work sites,” according to the arrest affidavit.