All eight defendants in fentanyl trafficking case now out of jail as cases advance through court system
JIM THORPE — Cruz “June” Rodriguez, the 31-year-old New Philadelphia man accused of leading a drug trafficking organization that flooded Carbon and Schuylkill counties with fentanyl and methamphetamine, walked out of Carbon County Prison December 3 after a judge reduced his bail from $500,000 to $100,000 unsecured.
Rodriguez’s release came 41 days after his October 23 arrest in a multi-agency takedown that netted seven of eight defendants and seized over two pounds of meth, eight ounces of fentanyl—an estimated 112,000 lethal doses—281 MDMA pills, and a stolen 9mm handgun.
The eighth defendant, Robert C. Ahn III, 45, of Lansford, evaded capture for 33 days before his November 25 arrest. He was released December 22 on $75,000 unsecured bail. All eight defendants now await trial on felony drug trafficking and racketeering charges.
December Court Proceedings
Four defendants waived preliminary hearings in December, binding their cases to Carbon County Common Pleas:
Cruz Rodriguez waived December 3 before Judge Beth A. Dodson. His 23 felony charges—including 11 PWID counts, corrupt organizations, conspiracy, and prohibited firearm possession—proceed to formal arraignment February 12, 2026. Private attorney James Joseph Burke of Bethlehem represents him. The PA Attorney General’s Office and Carbon County DA are jointly prosecuting.
Justin Heacock, 36, of Lansford, waived December 17 after 55 days in custody, his bail reduced from $90,000 monetary to unsecured. He faces six felonies; formal arraignment March 12, 2026. Public defender Michael Peter Gough represents him.
Jose Alfredo Nieves-Feliciano, 44, of Coaldale, waived December 17, released on $70,000 unsecured after 55 days. He faces eight felonies and filed paperwork December 22 indicating he may seek ARD. Private attorney Arley Louise Kemmerer of Jim Thorpe represents him. Earlier Schuylkill County charges from August 2025 were withdrawn and incorporated into the Carbon case.
Robert C. Ahn III waived December 22, three days after capture ended his month on the run. He spent 27 days in custody before release on $75,000 unsecured. Court-appointed attorney Brett J. Riegel of Stroudsburg represents him. Arraignment March 12, 2026.
Two Defendants Awaiting Preliminary Hearings
Elijah Marie Camacho, 28, of Tamaqua—Rodriguez’s girlfriend who allegedly served as his driver—did not waive December 17. Next hearing: January 28, 2026. She’s free on $50,000 bail posted October 24. The Public Defender filed for appointment of counsel December 12, suggesting she lost private representation. Camacho has a pending controlled substance DUI from September 2022 still unresolved after withdrawing an ARD application in 2023.
Kayla Evert, 31, of Lansford, also did not waive. Next hearing: February 25, 2026. Free on $20,000 bail posted October 27. Public Defender filed for counsel November 21.
Previously Bound to Common Pleas
Christopher “Skinny” Hazlett, 58, of Lansford, waived November 5 and walked out same-day on $60,000 unsecured—never spending a night in jail. William Todd Carter, 40, of Lansford, waived the same day after six days in custody. Both face arraignment January 15, 2026 with public defenders.
Carter’s charges stem from October 8, 2025—two weeks before the mass arrests—and Nesquehoning Borough Police made the arrest rather than the AG’s office, suggesting a controlled buy near the investigation’s end.
Criminal Histories
Hazlett pleaded guilty in 2002 to two counts of statutory rape and two counts of corruption of minors in Schuylkill County, receiving 2-4 years state prison. He is a registered sex offender.
Ahn has been arrested in three separate AG drug investigations in Carbon County over 16 years—PWID guilty pleas in 2009 and 2013, with repeated parole revocations through 2015. In 2017, he pleaded guilty in Carbon County to recklessly endangering another person, dealing in offensive weapons, and endangering welfare of children in separate cases filed months apart.
Heacock’s record includes a 2017 Schuylkill County robbery conviction earning 3-6 years state prison, plus burglary convictions in Luzerne, Philadelphia, and Schuylkill counties between 2015-2018. He has a pending Somerset County extradition matter.
The Investigation
The PA Attorney General’s Bureau of Narcotics, Carbon County Drug Task Force, and local police ran a 14-month investigation using two confidential informants: a Lansford dealer busted with 282 grams of meth and 26 grams of marijuana, and a former trafficker who purchased from Rodriguez twice weekly for two years and witnessed pounds of meth and nearly a kilogram of fentanyl at his Water Street apartment.
At an October 29 press conference, then-AG Dave Sunday warned the case shows how trafficking has penetrated Pocono communities: “Communities like Jim Thorpe can sometimes lull ourselves into a false sense of security that the opioid crisis is something that only happens in cities. The truth is, these poisons have a significant presence in communities like this and all throughout the Commonwealth.”
DA Michael Greek added: “This type of arrest, from somebody who’s not necessarily from this area, should be a message to anyone from Allentown to Reading to Philadelphia. Don’t come to Carbon County and deal drugs.”
Investigators allege Rodriguez, tied to Allentown’s Second Street Gang, ran a “fronting” operation supplying wholesale drugs from PA/NY sources on credit to dealers across Carbon and Schuylkill counties, with Hazlett operating a distribution point on the 200 block of East Abbott Street in Lansford. Rodriguez allegedly threatened non-payers with “hot shots”—lethal fentanyl injections—and brandished firearms and knives. Prior felonies prohibited his firearm possession.
Upcoming Court Dates
- January 15, 2026: Hazlett, Carter arraignment
- January 28, 2026: Camacho preliminary hearing
- February 12, 2026: Rodriguez arraignment
- February 25, 2026: Evert preliminary hearing
- March 12, 2026: Heacock, Nieves-Feliciano, Ahn arraignment
Defendant Status
- Cruz Rodriguez, 31, New Philadelphia — Released December 3, $100K unsecured, next: February 12, 2026
- Justin Heacock, 36, Lansford — Released December 17, $90K unsecured, next: March 12, 2026
- Jose Nieves-Feliciano, 44, Coaldale — Released December 17, $70K unsecured, next: March 12, 2026
- Robert C. Ahn III, 45, Lansford — Released December 22, $75K unsecured, next: March 12, 2026
- Elijah Marie Camacho, 28, Tamaqua — Released October 24, $50K posted, next: January 28, 2026
- Kayla Evert, 31, Lansford — Released October 27, $20K posted, next: February 25, 2026
- Christopher Hazlett, 58, Lansford — Released October 23, $60K unsecured, next: January 15, 2026
- William Todd Carter, 40, Lansford — Released October 29, $60K posted, next: January 15, 2026
All face felony drug charges. Rodriguez faces the most serious, including corrupt organizations and prohibited firearms.