Drug Gang Member Pleads Guilty and Gets 7+ Year Federal Prison Sentence

PITTSBURGH - A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to a drug-trafficking charge in connection with a large-scale investigation conducted by the Greater Pittsburgh Safe Streets Task Force, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.

Anthony Jetter, age 32, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl and more than 100 grams of heroin before United States District Judge William S. Stickman IV. Jetter was immediately sentenced following his guilty plea to 87 months’ imprisonment and four years’ supervised release.

According to the information presented to the court, the Greater Pittsburgh Safe Streets Task Force, led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, conducted a large-scale narcotics and firearms investigation primarily targeting the Darccide/Smash 44, or DS44, neighborhood gang, and drug-trafficking activity in and around the South Side area of Pittsburgh. As part of the investigation, the United States received authorization to intercept wire communications of several of the suspected members of the conspiracy through June of 2019. Communications intercepted established Jetter’s role in distributing heroin and fentanyl obtained from his codefendant Christopher Highsmith, one of the highest members of the drug-trafficking organization.

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.