A Schuylkill County man has been indicted by a federal grand jury on multiple drug trafficking charges involving methamphetamine, following a coordinated investigation between the FBI, Shenandoah Police, and the Schuylkill County District Attorney’s Office.
According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Darious Felder, 34, of Shenandoah, was indicted on charges that he conspired to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a substance containing methamphetamine between January and April 25, 2025, in Luzerne County.
The federal indictment also alleges that Felder distributed and possessed with intent to distribute methamphetamine on three separate occasions in March and April of 2025.
The indictment follows local investigations earlier this year in Shenandoah involving controlled drug purchases from Felder.
According to Shenandoah Police, in January and March, officers worked with a confidential informant and an FBI special agent to set up controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Felder. In January, Felder allegedly met the informant near Center and Jardin streets in Shenandoah for a drug transaction. In March, Felder and the informant met again, traveled to a nearby residence, and completed another drug exchange. Lab tests later confirmed the substances obtained were methamphetamine.
Felder was arrested and committed to Schuylkill County Prison as a result of the investigations.
Felder faces two state-level felony charges for manufacture, delivery, or possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, in addition to the federal indictment. He remains in prison unable to post the 10% of the $100,000 cash bail. Bail was reduced during a hearing on May 30th.
Felder’s federal case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James M. Buchanan as part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative targeting transnational criminal organizations, drug cartels, and violent crime. The operation coordinates resources from the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
If convicted of the federal charges, Felder faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, supervised release, and a fine. Sentencing will be determined by a federal judge based on statutory requirements and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.