Cecil Shields, Fentanyl Distribution, Pennsylvania 2017

McKeesport Man Guilty in Fentanyl Ring

PITTSBURGH, PA. – In a shocking turn of events, a local resident has been found guilty in a major narcotics trafficking operation.

Cecil Shields, 41, of McKeesport, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring with Elliot Page, Skyler Carter, and 18 other individuals to distribute narcotics between March and June of 2017.

According to court documents, Shields purchased approximately 60 grams of fentanyl, commonly known as ‘bricks’, per month from his codefendant, Elliot Page, for further distribution in the McKeesport area.

The investigation, led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, also discovered that Shields was found in possession of more than $5,000 cash and a bag containing over 270 ‘stamp bags’ of fentanyl when he was arrested on unrelated charges on June 24, 2017.

Shields acknowledged responsibility for the distribution of at least 160 grams of fentanyl.

He is the sixteenth of 21 defendants charged in the case to plead guilty, and is subject to enhanced penalties due to a prior felony drug conviction.

Judge Arthur J. Schwab has scheduled sentencing for October 4, 2018, at 9:30 a.m., with a maximum total sentence of 30 years in prison, a fine of not more than $2,000,000, or both possible.

Assistant United States Attorney Carolyn J. Bloch is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government, with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, Allegheny County Police Department, and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police also involved in the investigation.

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

This case serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing threat of narcotics trafficking in our communities and the importance of continued cooperation between law enforcement agencies to combat this issue.

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