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Joshua Birrell, 40, formerly of Latrobe, was sentenced to five years of imprisonment followed by four years of supervised release by United States District Judge Robert J. Colville on Jan. 11, 2023.
During the hearing, the Greater Pittsburgh Safe Streets Task Force, led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, told the Court that it had conducted a long-term investigation into drug-trafficking activity in the Western District of Pennsylvania and they identified additional suspects also involved in illegally distributing controlled substances, including methamphetamine in Allegheny, Westmoreland, Erie, Fayette, and Washington Counties, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung explains in the release.
Investigators "learned of individuals involved/associated with the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club (PMC) responsible for distributing methamphetamine, in Westmoreland County. Investigators identified Birrell, who was not a member of the PMC, as a methamphetamine source of supply for the PMC, including among others, co-defendant Zachary Miller," Chung say.
Facebook messages between Birrell and Miller, "from in and around January 2020 to July 2020," which led the FBI to conduct surveillance of Birrell and during that time law enforcement seized a parcel containing methamphetamine intended for Birrell, on May 17, 2020, Chung details in the release.
Birrell has since admitted to conspiring to distribute at least 350 grams but less than 500 grams of methamphetamine.
Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca L. Silinski prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States.
This sentencing was the result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force 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.
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