Former Pittsburgh Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Distribute Cocaine and to Commit Money Laundering

PITTSBURGH - A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of violating federal narcotics laws and money laundering conspiracy, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

Garfield Campbell, also known as “Sean Grant”, age 45, pleaded guilty to two counts before United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan. Campbell has been detained at the Allegheny County Jail.

In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that Campbell participated in a conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine, a Schedule II controlled substance from in and April 2017, and continuing thereafter to in and around April 2019, in the Western District of Pennsylvania and elsewhere. Campbell also plead guilty to conspiring to commit money laundering, from in and April 2017, and continuing thereafter to in and around April 2019. Specifically, Campbell was part of a conspiracy in which individuals, many of whom were born in Jamaica, mailed kilograms of cocaine from California to individuals in the Western District of Pennsylvania, including Campbell, who then arranged for its further distribution. The conspiracy also involved Campbell and others mailing packages back to the California cocaine suppliers, also through the mail. Federal agents obtained Court authorization and intercepted the communications of members of the conspiracy, including Campbell, and they also executed numerous search warrants. As part of the plea, Campbell acknowledged that he was responsible for between 15 and 50 kilograms of cocaine, and he and the government also agreed that the appropriate sentence in the case was 12 years of imprisonment.

Judge Horan scheduled sentencing for August 4, 2020. The law provides for a total sentence of up to life in prison, a fine of $10,500,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

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

A federally administered Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Campbell. 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. The OCDETF program supplies critical federal funding and coordination that allows federal and state agencies to work together to successfully identify, investigate, and prosecute major interstate and international drug trafficking organizations and other criminal enterprises. In this case, the Lawrence County Drug Task Force and the New Castle Police Department also participated in the investigation.