A resident of Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of possession of fentanyl and methamphetamine. Jacob Blair, 25, is also charged in a parallel indictment in the District of Columbia with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, and metonitazen and money laundering.
Blair was arrested by FBI agents on Feb. 24, 2023 in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania. He made an initial appearance in federal court and is detained pending a detention hearing on March 1, 2023.
The indictments were announced by United States Attorney Matthew M. Graves, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
According to the three-count Indictment returned in the Western District of Pennsylvania, on or about February 24, 2022, Blair is alleged to have attempted to possess over 100 grams of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of a fentanyl analogue; possessed with intent to distribute over 40 grams of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl and 50 grams of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine; and possessed with intent to distribute over 400 grams of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl.
According to the Indictment returned in the District of Columbia, Blair is accused of running a counterfeit drug conspiracy that sold fentanyl and methamphetamine disguised as Oxycontin, Xanax and Adderall on a Darknet Marketplace.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of life in prison, a fine of $10,000,000 or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys DeMarr Moulton, in the Western District of Pennsylvania, and Kevin Rosenberg in the District of Columbia.
This case is being investigated by the Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C. offices of: the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Department of Homeland Security/Homeland Security Investigations, along with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, and the Moon Township Police Department.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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