Pittsburgh Heroin Ring: Moorefield Gets 25 Years

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A major heroin distribution network operating in the Pittsburgh area has been dealt a significant blow with the sentencing of three key figures in federal court. Gary Moorefield, 45, Dequillarae Zellous, 39, and David Michael Jones, 31, all of Pittsburgh, received substantial prison terms after pleading guilty to federal narcotics and firearms charges.

Moorefield received the harshest sentence: 300 months (25 years) imprisonment followed by five years of supervised release. Zellous and Jones each received 120 months (10 years) imprisonment, also followed by eight years of supervised release. The sentences were handed down by Senior United States District Judge Donetta W. Ambrose, marking the culmination of a lengthy investigation that exposed a sophisticated operation moving kilogram quantities of heroin into the region.

The investigation, which began in 2010, revealed that Moorefield was the central hub, sourcing heroin from suppliers in the New York/New Jersey area. Wiretaps on his cell phones confirmed a consistent flow of drugs, with a courier regularly traveling to Newark and New York City carrying large sums of cash – often exceeding $100,000 per trip – to secure the heroin. The courier would then deliver the drugs directly to Moorefield at his residences in Penn Hills and Monroeville.

Federal agents weren’t just tracking the heroin. On August 11, 2010, they intercepted $103,000 in cash en route to the New York/New Jersey source. Just weeks later, on September 17, 2010, another $89,000 was seized from Moorefield himself as he delivered it to the supplier in New York City. A subsequent search of Moorefield’s home on September 23, 2010, uncovered another $72,000 in cash, a bulletproof vest, and four loaded firearms. The scale of the financial operation was staggering.

The investigation didn’t stop at drug and money seizures. Testimony revealed a connection to a 2009 burglary in Wilkinsburg, where police discovered an arsenal of weapons and heroin packaging materials – over 616 grams of heroin, a pistol, a sawed-off shotgun, two assault rifles, 25,000 empty stamp bags, scales, and stamping equipment. The ransacked residence was identified as a “stash house” used by Moorefield, reportedly losing between $500,000 to $1,000,000 in the burglary. The operation wasn’t just about moving drugs; it was about protecting a substantial criminal enterprise.

The prosecution was led by Assistant United States Attorneys Charles A. Eberle and Troy Rivetti. U.S. Attorney David J. Hickton commended the work of the federal agencies and the Pennsylvania State Police in dismantling this large-scale drug trafficking operation. The sentencing of Moorefield, Zellous, and Jones sends a clear message: those who flood our communities with heroin and endanger public safety will face the full force of the law. The ten individuals charged in this conspiracy are now facing the consequences of their actions, and the Grimy Times will continue to follow the fallout.