Lightfoot Drug Trafficking Organization Member Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison

PITTSBURGH, PA –A former resident of Washington, PA, has been sentenced to federal prison on federal narcotics charges, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

Douglas Cochran, age 42, previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine before Chief United States District Court JudgeMark R. Hornak. Today, Judge Hornak sentenced Cochran to 10 years in prison followed by a term of eight years of supervised release.

According to information presented to the court from January 2015 to November 2017, Cochran, was a mid-level member of the conspiracy, who conspired with other members of the DTO to acquire large quantities of cocaine. After Cochran obtained the cocaine, he re-packaged it and re-distributed it to other co-conspirators and drug customers in Washington, Westmoreland, Fayette, and Allegheny County.

Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy M. Lanni and Shaun Sweeney are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pennsylvania State Police, with assistance from the South Strabane Police Department, the Elizabeth Borough Police Department, the Penn Hills Police Department and the Perryopolis Police Department, conducted the investigation that led to the Indictment in this case.

The investigation was funded by the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Program (OCDETF). 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.