PITTSBURGH, PA - A former resident of Duquesne, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 78 months’ imprisonment and six years’ supervised release on his conviction of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of that drug trafficking crime, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
United States District Judge Joy Flowers Conti imposed the sentence on Brandon McCaskill, age 28.
According to information presented to the Court, on Aug. 17, 2020, officers with the Duquesne Police Department attempted to locate a suspect in an unrelated investigation at Brandon McCaskill’s residence in Duquesne. Upon arriving at the residence, officers observed McCaskill seated on the front porch with a backpack between his legs. Officers also detected the strong odor of marijuana. As a result, law enforcement applied for and obtained a search warrant for the porch of the residence.
The backpack between McCaskill’s legs contained a loaded handgun, controlled substances packaged into 11 bricks stamped “Dr. Pepper", and several plastic bags. A “brick" is typically comprised of 50 glassine bags. From on and underneath a couch on the porch, officers recovered two digital scales, bulk United States currency, and additional packaged controlled substances. The Drug Chemistry Section of the Office of the Medical Examiner, Allegheny County, tested the seized substances. The laboratory confirmed that the bricks marked “Dr. Pepper" contained a mixture of fentanyl and tramadol; that other bricks contained a mixture of heroin, fentanyl, and tramadol; and that some plastic baggies contained cocaine.
Assistant United States Attorney Brendan J. McKenna prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Chung commended the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the City of Duquesne Police Department for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of McCaskill.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
