Former Crafton resident pleads guilty to conspiring to distribute cocaine and heroin from Mexico and commit money laundering

Date: Aug. 21, 2024

Contact: [email protected]

Pittsburgh, PA - A former resident of Crafton, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of violating federal narcotics and money laundering laws, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.

Andrew Beatty pleaded guilty to two counts before United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon: conspiring to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and one kilogram or more of heroin, and conspiring to commit money laundering. Beatty has a prior federal drug trafficking conviction from 2007 for which he was sentenced to 78 months in prison.

In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that communications intercepted on federal wiretaps by law enforcement between September 2013 and March 2014 revealed that Beatty was obtaining kilogram quantities of heroin and cocaine from a Mexican drug trafficking organization, communicating directly with an unidentified Mexican male known only as "Guero." Guero arranged for heroin and cocaine to be hidden in vehicles in California and then transported to Pittsburgh and several other cities via car carrier trucks. Beatty, with the assistance of conspirators, would receive the cars and unload the heroin and cocaine, and also sell the drugs to other individuals, who further distributed the drugs throughout Western Pennsylvania. Once the drugs were sold, Beatty, again with the assistance of co-conspirators, hid the money in vehicles that he shipped to the Mexican organization in California. Often, the vehicles involved were older model Acura sedans equipped with sophisticated concealed compartments with hydraulic arms that were opened through a series of actions.

In December 2013, DEA agents arranged for the Ohio Highway Patrol to conduct a traffic stop of a car carrier truck based on information obtained through Beatty's intercepted communications. The truck was carrying a car that Beatty had shipped to the Mexican organization in California, a search of which resulted in the seizure of approximately $130,000 in U.S. currency.

On Jan. 12, 2014, and again on February 9, 2014, an undercover DEA agent posing as a money courier received from Beatty and his associates approximately $225,000 (on each occasion). The money was then deposited into bank accounts specified by the Mexican organization.

In early March 2014, agents intercepted communications between Guero and Beatty that revealed a car containing cocaine had been shipped to Pittsburgh and left in a parking lot for Beatty. On March 5, 2014, the agents located and towed the car before Beatty had the opportunity to retrieve it. A search warrant was executed, resulting in the seizure of approximately six kilograms of cocaine hidden in metal containers bolted to the wheels inside of the tires.

On March 19, 2014, agents executed search warrants, along with arrest warrants for Beatty and others, and seized approximately $400,000 in cash, the bulk of which was found in Beatty's storage locker. A search of a conspirator's residence resulted in the seizure of approximately 40 bricks of heroin and $40,000 in cash. During the execution of the search warrant at Beatty's home, Beatty showed the agents how to open the concealed compartment of a silver Acura located at the residence, the only contents of which was marijuana, and claimed that he had sold the gold Acura for which the agents also had a warrant.

The following day, agents located the gold Acura belonging to Beatty parked on a city street near a conspirator's home. The vehicle had an anti-theft steering wheel lock, the key to which, along with the key to the car itself, was found in Beatty's residence on March 19. The agents also had observed Beatty move the same vehicle the previous night via a pole camera they had installed outside of Beatty's residence. Upon the execution of a search warrant for the vehicle, agents found approximately 3.5 kilograms of heroin, three firearms, and four cell phones belonging to Beatty inside of a trap compartment in the door panel, which opened in the same unique manner that Beatty showed the agents on the silver Acura located at his residence the previous day. A later search of those cellular telephones revealed that they were among the cellular telephones that were intercepted during the wiretaps, as well as other incriminating evidence.

Judge Bissoon scheduled sentencing for Dec. 17, 2024. The law provides for a maximum total 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 sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Brendan T. Conway is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS CI), Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, Baldwin Police Department, Munhall Police Department, Scott Township Police Department, Allegheny County Police Department, Pennsylvania State Police, Duquesne Police Department, West Homestead Police Department, and Ohio Highway Patrol conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Beatty.

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, multiagency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

CI is the criminal investigative arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money-laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. CI special agents are the only federal law enforcement agents with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code, obtaining a more than a 90 percent federal conviction rate. The agency has 20 field offices located across the U.S. and 12 attaché posts abroad.

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