Mack Mulla, a New York rapper known for collaborations with Jim Jones and Maino, was sentenced to more than 20 years in federal prison on drug conspiracy charges. A Pennsylvania jury convicted the 33-year-old on nine drug-trafficking counts tied to a fentanyl and marijuana network prosecutors said stretched from Wilkes-Barre to Mexico.
U.S. District Judge Robert D. Mariani imposed a 242-month term on James Rodriguez Jr. after jurors in June found him guilty of conspiracy to distribute more than a kilogram of fentanyl, multiple counts of distributing fentanyl, and related marijuana charges. The court handed down the sentence at a hearing last week in the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
According to prosecutors, Rodriguez operated the narcotics scheme while running Mulla Fashion, a Wilkes-Barre clothing store and recording studio that investigators characterized as a front for street-level distribution. Federal and local officers raided the location and recovered marijuana, fentanyl, a ballistic vest, and a handgun. Prosecutors further alleged that Rodriguez traveled to Mexico in January 2021 to meet with MS-13 members who, they said, supplied fentanyl for resale.
New York’s Mack Mulla Sentenced To 20 Years For Drug Conspiracy
Investigators executed a search warrant at an alleged stash house in Wilkes-Barre Township one year later, seizing additional narcotics and firearms. Federal authorities told the court the property functioned as a secure storage site for bulk quantities of fentanyl destined for distribution across northeastern Pennsylvania.
The case drew heightened attention after prosecutors initially accused Rodriguez of supplying the fentanyl that caused the October 2021 death of Luzerne County resident Anthony Greskewicz. Jurors later acquitted him of that charge, along with a firearms-in-furtherance count that carried a significant mandatory minimum sentence.
Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, the Kingston Police Department, and the Luzerne County Drug Task Force conducted the investigation. Prosecutors described the multi-agency effort as critical to disrupting a supply chain they argued contributed to the region’s fentanyl crisis.
Rodriguez, who previously organized independent music showcases in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, saw Mulla Fashion close shortly after his arrest. His legal team declined to comment following sentencing.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the outcome represents a significant step in its broader strategy to dismantle fentanyl distribution networks operating in the Middle District. The office emphasized the continuing threat posed by fentanyl trafficking and cited the case as evidence of ongoing enforcement pressure in the region.
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