Judge Sends Plum Borough Drug Dealer to Federal Prison for 10 Years

PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A former resident of Plum Borough, PA, has been sentenced in federal court today to 10 years (120 months) of imprisonment on his conviction for violating the federal narcotics laws, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

Senior United States District Judge Nora Barry Fischer imposed the sentence on Brandon Winters, age 43, formerly of Plum Borough, PA, who pleaded guilty in September 2019 to the two-Count Indictment charging him at Count One with conspiring to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin and 400 grams or more of fentanyl; and at Count Two, with possessing with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.

According to information presented to the Court, on January 30, 2019, investigators with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Pennsylvania State Police Drug Law Enforcement Division executed a search warrant at an apartment located in Pittsburgh, which was utilized by Mr. Winters and his alleged coconspirators, Eduard Rijo and Erick Martinez. Upon entry into the apartment, case agents located Winters, Rijo, and Martinez, approximately 1,500 "bricks" (the equivalent of roughly 75,000 individual dosage units) containing mixtures of heroin and fentanyl, and more than 500 grams of cocaine. Additionally, case agents seized over $250,000 in U.S. Currency, which was found in and around Mr. Winters and his alleged coconspirators.

Prior to sentencing Mr. Winters to a 10-year term of imprisonment, the Court noted Mr. Winters’ acknowledgement that his criminal conduct in this case was motived by his selfishness, greed, and addiction to the fast and easy money associated with narcotics trafficking. Following Mr. Winters release from his sentence of incarceration, the Court ordered that he be under the supervision of the United States Probation Department for a period of five years.

Assistant United States Attorneys Jerome A. Moschetta and Tonya Sulia Goodman prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

United States Attorney Brady commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pennsylvania State Police for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Mr. Winters.