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Date: Nov. 17, 2025
Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov
Johnstown, PA – Two individuals from Ohio were sentenced in federal court on their convictions of violating federal narcotics laws in connection with a cross-state drug trafficking ring, First Assistant United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced. The defendants were among 27 individuals charged through a Superseding Indictment unsealed in March 2023 for their participation in a cross-state narcotics conspiracy involving substantial quantities of fentanyl, cocaine, crack, and heroin.
The sentences imposed by United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan were:
| Defendant | Residence | Sentence Date | Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raheem Hurst | Garfield Heights, Ohio | October 15 | Five months of imprisonment, to be followed by two years of supervised release |
| Torrence Lyde | Cleveland, Ohio | November 6 | 132 months of imprisonment, to be followed by five years of supervised release |
According to information presented to the Court, from in and around December 2022 to March 2023, in the Western District of Pennsylvania, Hurst conspired with others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a quantity of a mixture of cocaine and crack. From in and around August 2018 to March 2023, in the Western District of Pennsylvania, Lyde conspired with others to possess with the intent to distribute 400 grams or more of a mixture of fentanyl, 500 grams or more of a mixture of cocaine, and a quantity of a mixture of cocaine base. The defendants were intercepted on a federal wiretap obtaining quantities of the drugs that they distributed to others.
With these sentencings, 24 of the 27 defendants charged in the Superseding Indictment now have been sentenced in the case, following guilty pleas from 26 of the defendants.
Assistant United States Attorney Arnold P. Bernard Jr. is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
First Assistant United States Attorney Rivetti commended Internal Revenue Service–Criminal Investigation; the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Laurel Highlands Resident Agency; Homeland Security Investigations; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; United States Postal Inspection Service; and other local law enforcement agencies for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of the defendants.
IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) is the law enforcement 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 19 field offices located across the U.S. and 14 attaché posts abroad.