Federal Jury Convicts Large Scale Drug Distributor

Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that a federal jury has found Andrew Pieters (30, Orlando) guilty of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance and attempting to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison on each charge.  His sentencing hearing is scheduled for December 10, 2015.

According to evidence presented at trial, in 2013, Pieters was a top-level distributor of methylone in central Florida.  Methylone is a schedule I controlled substance similar to Ecstasy and can cause overheating, dehydration, and death. The methylone Pieters distributed had been imported from China and purchased through the Silk Road, an online marketplace that was used to facilitate the purchase and sale of illegal drugs and other contraband.

Between January and August 2013, Pieters distributed hundreds of thousands of dollars of methylone.  Federal agents arrested him on January 9, 2015, as he was attempting to take possession of a kilogram of suspected methylone.  Prior to his arrest, Pieters had planned to distribute at least a kilogram per week of methylone in central Florida.

Drug Enforcement Administration Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey T. Walsh stated, “DEA will continue to work with our law enforcement partners and the United States Attorney’s Office in order to identify and bring to justice any persons importing and distributing illegal narcotics in the Central Florida region.  We will continue to dedicate any resources necessary to identify emerging trends and methods that are utilized by these drug trafficking organizations.” 

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, United States Postal Inspection Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the West Orange Narcotics Task Force, which is directed by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and comprised of multiple local agencies.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney J. Bishop Ravenel.