A Long Beach, California resident has admitted guilt in a federal court for violating narcotics laws. Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced that Derrick Polk, aged 62, entered a guilty plea before United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan on June 4, 2025.
Polk pleaded guilty to Counts One and Three of the Superseding Indictment. The court was informed that from April 2019 to July 2021, in the Western District of Pennsylvania, Polk conspired to distribute and possess with intent to distribute over 500 grams of methamphetamine. In April 2021, he also possessed with intent to distribute the same quantity of methamphetamine. A federal wiretap intercepted Polk obtaining quantities of drugs which he distributed.
Judge Horan has scheduled sentencing for September 24, 2025. The law mandates a sentence ranging from at least ten years to life imprisonment and a fine up to $10 million or both. The actual sentence will depend on the severity of the offenses and any prior criminal history.
Assistant United States Attorney Maureen Sheehan-Balchon is handling the prosecution for the government.
The investigation leading to Polk's prosecution was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Laurel Highlands Resident Agency and Homeland Security Investigations. Several other agencies were involved including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Internal Revenue Service–Criminal Investigation, United States Postal Inspection Service, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Pennsylvania State Police among others.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation aimed at dismantling high-level drug traffickers and criminal organizations using a collaborative approach across various law enforcement agencies.
