Laffayette Fuller, 21, Gets 41 Months for Fentanyl Trafficking

Laffayette Fuller, 21, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is headed to federal prison for 41 months after admitting his role in a violent, street-level drug operation that flooded the South Side with heroin and fentanyl. U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady announced the sentencing Monday, confirming the young man’s fall into one of the city’s most dangerous underground economies.

U.S. District Judge William S. Stickman, IV handed down the sentence following Fuller’s March 2, 2020 guilty plea to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl. As part of the plea agreement, Fuller accepted responsibility for distributing 39 grams of the deadly narcotics across Pittsburgh neighborhoods, acting as a key runner for co-conspirator Christopher Highsmith.

The conviction stems from a sweeping federal investigation led by the Greater Pittsburgh Safe Streets Task Force, which zeroed in on the Darccide/Smash 44 (DS44) gang in 2017. What started as a local crackdown exploded into a multi-year probe, culminating in a court-authorized wiretap operation from February to June 2019 that captured Fuller’s incriminating communications.

Wire intercepts revealed Fuller not only facilitated drug transactions but also carried a firearm while conducting business—exposing the violent undercurrent of the operation. Federal prosecutors painted a picture of organized, brazen dealing in plain sight, with DS44 members exploiting vulnerable communities while arming themselves against rivals and law enforcement.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christy C. Wiegand and Brendan McKenna prosecuted the case, backed by a coalition of federal and local agencies. The Federal Bureau of Investigation took the lead, supported by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Allegheny County Adult Probation, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office Bureau of Narcotics, and multiple regional police departments.

Funding came through the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Program (OCDETF), which enables complex, long-term takedowns of drug rings. Authorities say the investigation disrupted a major supply chain and removed a repeat threat from Pittsburgh’s streets—sending a clear message: traffickers will be tracked, charged, and locked up.