Nineteen Defendants from Western Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Ohio Charged with Participating in Interstate Drug Trafficking Operation Involving Large Quantities of Fentanyl,[...]

PITTSBURGH, Pa. - Nineteen individuals from the New Castle, Pennsylvania, and Detroit, Michigan, areas have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh for their participation in a large-scale drug trafficking organization operating throughout and between those regions, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.

The one-count Indictment charges the defendants with conspiring to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, 400 grams or more of fentanyl, five kilograms or more of cocaine, 100 grams or more of heroin, and a quantity of oxycodone from August 2023 to July 2024. The Indictment and a related search warrant were unsealed today. A complete list of the defendants is included at the bottom of this release.

According to the Indictment and information provided to the Court, the defendants operated a drug trafficking organization (DTO) based in Detroit and New Castle that was responsible for the acquisition of kilograms of fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine, including in the form of crack, as well as other controlled substances such as oxycodone, via interstate sources of supply. The DTO distributed those drugs to other dealers throughout and beyond Western Pennsylvania, and several members of the DTO regularly travelled back and forth between New Castle and Detroit in furtherance of the illegal drug activities. A number of the defendants have extensive criminal records, some stretching back more than three decades, including prior felony drug-trafficking and firearms convictions.

The search warrant affidavit alleges that, in March 2024, one of the leaders of this DTO, Christian Frierson, was arrested following a traffic stop on Interstate 80 in the vicinity of Omaha, Nebraska. Frierson, who was driving eastbound from California, was found in possession of a safe containing over 1,000 grams of fentanyl and nearly 250 grams of heroin. Frierson was charged with drug crimes in Nebraska state court and released on bond. The affidavit asserts that he promptly resumed his large-scale drug trafficking activities in furtherance of the Detroit/New Castle DTO.

According to the search warrant affidavit, agents utilized confidential sources and informants, extensive surveillance and analysis of phone records, controlled purchases of drugs, search warrants, and eventually court-authorized wiretaps from May 2024 to the present (among other investigative tools) to gather evidence in an effort to ascertain the scope of the illegal drug activities. Intercepted wiretap calls and text messages revealed that several members of the DTO in Detroit recruited individuals to work at "trap houses" (i.e., drug processing and distribution locations) in New Castle. The DTO, on an ongoing basis, distributed large quantities of fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl/oxycodone pills.

"This conspiracy involved a tight-knit network of family and friends-many of whom previously have been convicted of felony drug and firearms crimes-who allegedly trafficked large quantities of lethal narcotics, like fentanyl and heroin, between Detroit and Western Pennsylvania, supplying them to other dealers along the way," said U.S. Attorney Olshan. "Dismantling large-scale drug-trafficking organizations in order to keep our communities safe is at the center of what our office does, and we could not accomplish this critical mission without the support of the public and the strength of our partnerships at all levels of law enforcement here in Pennsylvania and across the country."

"Multi-state and multi-jurisdictional operations like what took place today show that the FBI and our partners stand shoulder to shoulder when it comes to keeping this poison out of communities everywhere," said FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek. "The message to those who want to peddle illegal drugs and guns is clear: we will not stand idle while our neighborhoods are held hostage by crime."

The law provides for a sentence of not less than 10 years and up to life in prison, a fine of up to $10 million, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentences imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal histories, if any, of the defendants.

Assistant United States Attorneys Craig W. Haller and Vincent Joseph Sonson are prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Lawrence County Drug Task Force, New Castle Police Department, Michigan State Police, Pennsylvania State Police, Mercer County Drug Task Force, United States Postal Inspection Service, Department of Homeland Security, and Douglas County (Nebraska) Sheriff's Office conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment unsealed today.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

List of Defendants