Latone Dunbar, Drug Trafficking, Pennsylvania 2020

Pittsburgh Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking and Firearms Charges

A 25-year-old Pittsburgh man has pleaded guilty to charges related to narcotics trafficking and firearms possession in connection with a large-scale investigation conducted by the Greater Pittsburgh Safe Streets Task Force. Latone Dunbar, a former resident of Pittsburgh, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin, as well as possession with intent to distribute heroin and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.

According to the court, in 2017, the Greater Pittsburgh Safe Streets Task Force initiated an investigation primarily targeting the Darccide/Smash 44, or DS44, neighborhood gang, and its drug-trafficking activity, in and around the South Side area of Pittsburgh. Following a federal wire investigation from February to June 2019, intercepted communications revealed that Dunbar purchased distribution-level quantities of heroin from co-conspirator Ronald Williams and resold the heroin to other customers.

On March 8, 2019, the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police found a Highpoint rifle and approximately 4 grams of heroin stamped 'DOPE' during a search of Dunbar's residence. The court was informed that Dunbar is one of 37 defendants charged in the Indictment.

Latone Dunbar, REAL full name: Latone Dunbar, faces a maximum sentence of up to life imprisonment, a fine of $4,500,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Mr. Dunbar remains in custody pending the sentencing hearing, which is scheduled for August 5, 2020, at 10:30 a.m. Assistant United States Attorney Christy C. Wiegand is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The investigation was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and involved multiple agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Allegheny County Adult Probation, Allegheny County Police Department, Allegheny County Sheriff's Office, Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office Bureau of Narcotics, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, and the Wilkinsburg Police Department.

The case was funded by the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Program (OCDETF), which provides critical federal funding and coordination that allows federal and state agencies to work together to identify, investigate, and prosecute major interstate and international drug trafficking organizations and other criminal enterprises.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdpa/pr/pittsburgh-man-pleads-guilty-drug-and-firearms-charges-south-side-gang-case