Houston, PA Felon who Possessed Fentanyl, Cocaine and Loaded Pistols Will Spend More than 10 Years in Federal Prison

PITTSBURGH – A former resident of Houston Borough, Washington County (Pennsylvania), has been sentenced in federal court to more than 10 years and 10 months (130 months) in prison on his conviction for violating the federal narcotics and firearms laws, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan imposed the sentence on Vashaun Lasalle Wright, age 30, on his conviction for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl; possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl; possession with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine; possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon; and possession of firearms in furtherance of the charged drug trafficking crimes.

According to information presented to the Court, in March of 2018, investigators with the Washington County District Attorney’s Office Drug Task Force made a series of controlled purchases of fentanyl from Wright and an alleged coconspirator. Thereafter, investigators executed a search warrant at their residence on Main Street in Houston Borough where agents seized approximately 50 grams of fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance (which was packaged for distribution), several ounces of cocaine, a Schedule II controlled substance (which was packaged for distribution), approximately $24,000 in U.S. Currency, fentanyl packaging materials, and three loaded pistols. Wright, a convicted felon, was prohibited under federal law from possessing a firearm or ammunition due to his prior felony convictions from Washington County, Pennsylvania, involving his unlicensed possession of concealed firearms in 2008 and 2011.

The Court further ordered that the defendant’s federal sentence is to run consecutively to his June 27, 2019 sentence from the Court of Common Pleas of Washington County (Commonwealth of Pennsylvania), where Wright was sentenced to serve not less than 2 ½ to not more than 5 years of imprisonment in a state correctional facility for violating Pennsylvania’s firearms and narcotics laws. The Court further ordered that Wright be placed on a term of supervised release for four years following his release from incarceration.

Assistant United States Attorney Jerome A. Moschetta prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

This case was prosecuted as part of Operation S.O.S. (Synthetic Opioid Surge), a Department of Justice enforcement initiative designed to dismantle deadly fentanyl distribution networks through cooperation with local, state and federal law enforcement, as well as local and state prosecutors. The Western District of Pennsylvania as one of 10 districts from across the country to implement the S.O.S. program.

United States Attorney Brady commended the Washington County District Attorney’s Office Drug Task Force for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Wright.