Pittsburgh Man Sentenced for Role in Fentanyl Analogue Packaging Operation that Sent SWAT Officers to Hospital for Evaluation

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A former resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to a term of imprisonment of time served or 29 months, to be followed by three years of supervised release on his conviction on charges of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute an analogue of fentanyl, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

Senior United States District Court Judge David S. Cercone imposed the sentence on Anthony Lozito, age 40.

According to information presented to the court, from May 2017 to August 2017, Lozito conspired with others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cyclopropyl fentanyl, an analogue of fentanyl. Lynell Guyton purchased large quantities of fentanyl analogues from overseas purveyors, which he distributed in Western Pennsylvania. On August 9, 2017, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Lozito’s residence on Bond Street. Guyton was found on the first floor along with Lozito and two other individuals. Large amounts of narcotics and packaging paraphernalia were present in the house. A table with powder narcotics was overturned during the initial SWAT entry into the home, causing large amounts of opioids to become airborne. SWAT officers exposed to the airborne narcotics were sent to Mercy for evaluation–everyone was medically cleared and no one was harmed. Lozito admitted to allowing Guyton to use his home to package narcotics in exchange for the anticipated receipt of opioids.

Assistant United States Attorney Shanicka L. Kennedy prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

The Department of Homeland Security Investigations, the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Lozito.