Plum Borough Man Pleads Guilty in Heroin, Fentanyl and Cocaine Distribution Scheme

PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Plum Borough, PA, pleaded guilty in federal court today to charges involving heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine trafficking, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

Brandon Winters, age 43, pleaded guilty before Senior United States District Judge Nora Barry Fischer to the two-count Indictment charging him at Count One with conspiring to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin and 400 grams or more of fentanyl; and at Count Two, with possessing with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.

In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that on January 30, 2019, investigators with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Pennsylvania State Police Drug Law Enforcement Division executed a search warrant at an apartment located in Pittsburgh, which was utilized by Winters and his alleged co-conspirators, Eduard Rijo and Erick Martinez. Upon entry into the apartment, case agents located Winters, Rijo, and Martinez, approximately 1,500 "bricks" (the equivalent of roughly 75,000 individual dosage units) containing mixtures of heroin and fentanyl, and more than 500 grams of cocaine. Additionally, case agents seized over $250,000 in U.S. Currency, which was found in and around Mr. Winters and his alleged co-conspirators.

Judge Fischer scheduled sentencing for Feb. 6, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. The law provides for a total sentence of not less than 10 years up to life in prison, a fine not to exceed $10,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Pending sentencing, the Court revoked Winters’s bond and remanded him to the custody of the United States Marshal.

Assistant United States Attorneys Jerome A. Moschetta and Tonya Sulia Goodman are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pennsylvania State Police conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Winters.