West Virginia Man Sentenced for Role in DS44 Drug Trafficking Ring

 PITTSBURGH - A resident of Hundred, West Virginia, has been sentenced in federal court to time served and 3 years’ supervised release on his conviction of conspiring to distribute fentanyl, heroin, and other drugs, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.

United States District Judge William S. Stickman, IV, imposed the sentence on Jesse Tedrow, age 28. Tedrow is one of 37 defendants charged in the Indictment.

According to information presented to the court, in 2017, the Greater Pittsburgh Safe Streets Task Force initiated an investigation targeting the Darccide/Smash 44, or DS44, neighborhood gang, and its drug-trafficking activity, in and around the South Side area of Pittsburgh. As part of this large-scale narcotics and firearms investigation, in February of 2019, the United States received authorization to conduct a federal wire investigation, which continued through June of 2019. Jesse Tedrow was identified as a low-level fentanyl and heroin distributor through intercepted communications and surveillance conducted as part of the investigation. Tedrow accepted responsibility for the distribution of 18 grams of a mixture of fentanyl and heroin.

Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Stickman noted that Tedrow’s criminal conduct appeared to be directly related to his own drug addiction and ordered that he complete a drug treatment program as part of his sentence.

Assistant United States Attorneys Carolyn J. Bloch and Brendan J. McKenna prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation led the multi-agency investigation of this case, which also included the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, Allegheny County Adult Probation, Allegheny County Police Department, Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office Bureau of Narcotics, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, and the Wilkinsburg Police Department. Other assisting agencies include the Green Tree Police Department, New York City Police Department, Mount Oliver Police Department, Pennsylvania State Police, Yonkers Police Department, United States Marshals Fugitive Task Force, and the United States Postal Inspection Service.

This prosecution is a result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) 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.