Pittsburgh Man Admits Guilt in California-to-Pennsylvania Marijuana Trafficking Ring

PITTSBURGH, PA- A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of conspiracy to distribute marijuana, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.

Christopher Shaner, age 26, pleaded guilty to one count before U.S. District Judge Marilyn J. Horan.

In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that Shaner participated in conspiracy to distribute marijuana from 2017, and continuing thereafter to in and around May 2019, in the Western District of Pennsylvania and elsewhere. Shaner was part of a conspiracy in which individuals, many of whom were born in Jamaica, mailed kilograms of cocaine and marijuana from California to individuals in the Western District of Pennsylvania. Federal agents obtained Court authorization and intercepted the communications of members of the conspiracy, including Shaner and they also executed numerous search warrants.

Judge Horan scheduled sentencing for March 22, 2022, at 9:00 a.m. The law provides for a total sentence of not more than five years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Pending sentencing, the Judge ordered the defendant shall remain on bond.

Assistant United States Attorneys Brendan T. Conway and Maureen Sheehan-Balchon are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

A federally administered Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) conducted the investigation leading to the prosecution of Shaner. The task force is headed by the Drug Enforcement Administration and is comprised of members drawn from the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Lawrence County Drug Task Force, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Borough of Baldwin Police Department, McKees Rocks Police Department, Munhall Police Department, Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, and the Pennsylvania State Police. In this case, the Lawrence County Drug Task Force and the New Castle Police Department also participated in the investigation.

OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles high-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten communities throughout the United States. OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.