Hector Forbes, Mail-Based Cocaine Trafficking, California 2023

Seventeen people across four states have been indicted in a sprawling cocaine trafficking operation that used the U.S. mail to ship drugs and cash, federal prosecutors announced. At the center of the scheme: 45-year-old Hector Forbes of Pomona, California, who allegedly led a network that flooded western Pennsylvania with kilos of cocaine over an 18-month period.

The indictments, returned May 8, 2019, and unsealed this week, charge Hector Forbes, along with Marcia Cunningham, 51, of Plantation, Florida, and five others in an eight-count federal indictment. Forbes is accused of running a continuing criminal enterprise—commonly known as the Drug Kingpin Statute—which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison if convicted. Cunningham and Forbes were arrested in Florida on May 10; the rest were taken into custody in Lawrence and Allegheny counties on May 13.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Pittsburgh, the investigation revealed that cocaine was mailed from California to distribution hubs in New Castle and Pittsburgh, while cash proceeds were funneled back through the postal system. The group used aliases and layered financial transactions to evade detection. Defendants include Garfield Campbell, aka ‘Sean Grant,’ 44, and his son Garfield Campbell, Jr., aka ‘Theo Campbell,’ 22, both of Pittsburgh, as well as Robert Forbes, aka ‘Daniel Kirkpatrick,’ 44, brother of Hector Forbes.

All defendants are charged with conspiracy to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine from April 2017 to April 2019, a crime carrying a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison. Garfield Campbell also faces a separate count for attempting to possess 500 grams or more of cocaine in June 2017, which carries a five-year mandatory minimum. Other defendants named include Timothy Bonner, 38; Anthony Portis, Jr., 36; and Marcia Cunningham, who used multiple aliases including ‘Elaine Ambersley’ and ‘Marcia Headley.’

‘This is one of the largest cocaine distribution rings in western Pennsylvania,’ said U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady. ‘Together with our state and local law enforcement partners, we conducted an extensive investigation of this multi-state drug distribution network.’ Authorities emphasized the unprecedented cooperation between local, state, and federal agencies, including the DEA and U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which proved critical in dismantling the operation.

‘This drug distribution organization threatened the safety of the people of western Pennsylvania and beyond by peddling illegal drugs in their communities,’ said Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro. Lawrence County District Attorney Joshua Lamancusa added that the probe began locally but rapidly expanded, requiring federal resources. The investigation continues as prosecutors move toward trial, with all defendants facing decades behind bars if convicted.

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