A Warren man faces a felony drug distribution charge after a nearly year-long investigation by Conewango Township police.

Samuel J. Hornacky, 23, of Warren was charged Monday with felony criminal attempt to manufacture, deliver or possess with intent to manufacture or deliver and misdemeanor criminal attempt to possess a controlled substance by a person not registered after Conewango Township police reported finding Hornacky in possession of 25.4 grams of fentanyl in both pill and powder form. He was to be arraigned Monday by Magisterial District Court Judge Raymond Zydonik, who set bail at $35,000 cash. Hornacky was taken to the Warren County Prison.

According to the Affidavit of Probable Cause filed by police, Conewango Township police worked with the state Attorney General Office’s Bureau of Narcotics, the Warren County Drug Task Force and Youngsville Borough police to build their case. The affidavit states that around Feb. 25, 2025, a confidential informant showed an officer a message thread between the informant and Hornacky on Facebook Messenger. The officer reported seeing messages where Hornecky took selfie-style photos of himself and sent them to the informant. The messages, according to the officer, were allegedly consistent with conversation about controlled substances, including fentanyl. This included references to dog food, which the officer said is a common term when speaking about fentanyl.

“This term or slang for fentanyl is common in Warren County,” the officer said in the affidavit.

The messages also referred to “30s” – which the officer said is a term commonly referred to regarding pressed fentanyl pills. The pills appear to be legitimate 30 milligram oxycodone tablets marked with an “M” on one side and “30” on the other, but they contain fentanyl. Such pills have been reported to originate with Mexican drug cartels.

Information from the informant revealed a shipment was coming through the mail to a Fifth Avenue home in Warren, leading officers to make contact with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service to look for suspicious packages that could be consistent with a parcel containing illegal substances.

On March 28, 2025, the inspector said the USPIS intercepted a parcel in Pittsburgh that a drug-sniffing dog indicated contained a controlled substance. A search warrant was issued on April 2, 2025, at which point the parcel was opened.

Police allege Hornacky used another person’s name who lives at the Fifth Avenue home to get the package shipped to himself. The USPIS opened the package and found a sealed plastic package inside with 16 grams of suspected fentanyl pills.

A second package was intercepted on May 22, 2025, delivered the same way as the first package – delivered to Hornacky’s address but addressed to someone else who lives on the property.

“USPIS does recognize that it is common that although there is a valid recipient address because it is a necessary component to permit the delivery of a package, a false recipient’s name, nickname, misspelled name or another version of the recipient’s name is often used by the illicit drug receiver as to reduce the possibility of detection and apprehension by law enforcement,” the affidavit states.

The USPIS presented the second package to a drug-sniffing dog, which indicated there was likely a controlled substance on or in the package. Another search warrant was issued, with postal service inspectors finding a smaller bag of blue, round pills totaling 6.4 grams.

In August 2025, a third package was intercepted containing 3 grams of suspected fentanyl powder. The package was addressed to a different person at the same Fifth Avenue address.

Later in August Hornacky was a passenger in a vehicle that was pulled over while Hornacky was wanted by the Warren County Adult Probation Department for absconding from parole. After Hornacky was taken to the Warren County Jail, no further packages were intercepted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

“It is this officer’s conclusion … based upon the above affidavit of probable cause above that Sam Hornecky did attempt to possess approximately 25.4 grams of fentanyl and did have the intent to attempt to possess this substance with the intent to deliver the substance to others based upon the among being more than a user amount of fentanyl, but also based upon the messages obtained by law enforcement from the confidential informant about Hornecky obtaining the ’30s’ and being able to ‘hook up’ the informant with the substance.”

Charges are still pending against Hornacky from a September charge by Warren city police. Hornacky allegedly tried to sell $20 worth of cocaine to an undercover police officer and was charged with first-degree felony dealing in proceeds of unlawful activity/intent to promote, third-degree felony criminal use of a communication facility, felony manufacture, deliver or possession with intent to manufacture to deliver, and intentional possession of a controlled substance by a person not registered.

According to the Affidavit of Probable Cause, officers began investigating the sale of controlled substances allegedly involving Hornacky in February 2025 and, according to the affidavit, officers used a confidential informant to attempt to purchase controlled substances from Hornacky.

“On one occasion, the confidential informant was able to purchase a Schedule 2 controlled substance, cocaine, from Hornacky,” the affidavit states before continuing, “The confidential informant communicated with the defendant by Facebook Messenger and arranged the purchase of the controlled substance from the defendant. … Hornacky did exchange pre-recorded funds for the sale of cocaine.”