PITTSBURGH - A Pittsburgh man has been sentenced in federal court to 37 months imprisonment followed by five years supervised release on his conviction of violating federal narcotics laws, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.
United States District Judge Mark R. Hornak imposed the sentence on Patrick Taylor, 34.
According to information presented to the court, on or about Nov. 12, 2011, and continuing thereafter to on or about March 6, 2013, in the Western District of Pennsylvania and elsewhere, Taylor conspired with others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a quantity of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methylone, a Schedule I controlled substance. Specifically, Taylor contacted a source of supply in China via the Internet, and arranged for the importation of kilogram quantities of methylone into the United States for further distribution.
Methylone is a psychoactive chemical that is structurally and pharmacologically similar to the Schedule I substance MDMA. On April 12, 2013, the Administrator of the DEA issued a Final Rule, which scheduled methylone as a Schedule I controlled substance. Schedule I status is reserved for those substances with a high potential for abuse, no currently accepted use for treatment in the United States, and a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug under medical supervision.
Assistant United States Attorney Katherine A. King prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
U.S. Attorney Hickton commended the Department of Homeland Security - Homeland Security Investigations, the United States Postal Service, and the Pennsylvania State Police for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Patrick Taylor.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
