Lebanon resident faces 40-year federal sentence in drug manufacturing scheme

Federal agents have filed felony drug charges against a 40-year-old Lebanon man.

The U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced on Friday, Aug. 29, that Charles Adams, of Lebanon, was indicted by a federal grand jury in July and charged with two counts of attempting to possess methylamine, a controlled substance, with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine.

According to the indictment, Adams, no address given, is alleged to have committed the offenses on Nov. 19 and 22, 2024, in Lebanon County. No specific offense locations were disclosed in the indictment or in an Aug. 29 media release issued by acting U.S. Attorney John C. Gurganus.

The grand jury’s indictment was returned on July 16 but sealed until Aug. 28.

Federal criminal indictments are often sealed until a defendant is taken into custody, to preserve the integrity of ongoing investigations, or to protect witnesses who might be hesitant to come forward.

Court records indicate that an arrest warrant was issued for Adams on July 16 and that Adams entered a not guilty plea on Aug. 28, suggesting that he was just recently taken into custody.

Trial in Harrisburg has been set for Nov. 3 before U.S. District Judge Jennifer Wilson. Adams, who faces up to 40 years in jail, is represented by Carlisle attorney John Abom.

Adams was released on Aug. 28 on non-monetary bail, which is customary in the federal criminal system, with a number of conditions. Among them, he will have to notify the court’s Pretrial Services office before changing his address or phone number, report as required, provide a DNA sample, submit to drug testing, and surrender any passport and international travel documents.

Adams is also forbidden from traveling outside the U.S. Courts’ Middle and Eastern districts, which roughly comprise the eastern half of Pennsylvania.

The pretrial release order also indicates that Adams has one or more outstanding arrest warrants issued by New York courts.

The U.S. Attorney’s media release said “the case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Customs and Border Protection.”

The release added that “this case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).”

Neither court records nor the media release mention Adams’s citizenship or immigration status.