PITTSBURGH - A convicted drug dealer has been sentenced in federal court to 24 years in prison for his April, 2014, conviction for 11 counts related to the unlawful distribution of oxycodone and Opana, both of which are Schedule II controlled substances, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.
United States District Court Judge Arthur Schwab imposed the sentence on David Best, 28. On April 10, 2014, a federal jury had convicted Best, after a 10-day trial, of conspiracy to distribute oxycodone and Opana, as well as multiple counts related to that large-scale drug trafficking conviction.
Specifically, according to Assistant United States Attorney Eric S. Rosen, who prosecuted the case, the evidence presented at trial established that Best conspired together with others, from in and around July 2011, and continuing thereafter to in and around May 2013, to distribute and possess with intent to distribute large quantities of oxycodone and Opana. Additionally, on April 18, 2013 and April 30, 2013, Best distributed oxycodone and oxymorphone, in the form known as Opana to a confidential informant.
Further, on three separate occasions, Dec. 1, 2011, Sept. 26-27, 2012, and Feb. 15, 2013, Best burglarized the MedFast pharmacy in Baden, Pa., and from that pharmacy, stole a number of Schedule II controlled substances, including: fentanyl, oxymorphone, including in the form known as Opana, Ritalin, oxycodone, including in the form known as Oxycontin, methylphenidate, Vyvanse, morphine sulfate, Roxicet, Focalin, methylphenidate, hydromorphone, methadone, and meperidine. On two occasions, Best chiseled through the wall of the neighboring China Garden restaurant into the pharmacy, and on the third occasion, Best broke into the Bo-Rics hair salon, and from there, burrowed directly into the MedFast controlled substances cabinet. Best stole these controlled substances in order to distribute them.
Last, the evidence at trial demonstrated that Best, on June 20, 2012, carried and brandished a loaded revolver during and in relation to his drug trafficking conspiracy. In that regard, Best held two men hostage at gunpoint after he lured them to his Economy Township home under the guise that he had a large stash of drugs and drug proceeds in his room. Best suspected that these two men were conspiring to steal his drug proceeds, so he preemptively attacked and held them hostage at gunpoint.
Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Schwab highlighted the seriousness of Best’s many crimes and the damage that Best’s drug dealing did to those in Western Pennsylvania. Further, although Best had argued that his drug dealing resulted from his own drug addiction, the Court determined that the scope of his massive drug conspiracy went far beyond that of an ordinary addict looking to feed their addiction.
Assistant United States Attorney Eric S. Rosen prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Economy Borough and Cranberry Township Police Departments conducted the investigation that led to the successful prosecution and conviction of David Best.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
