Oxycodone & Meth Ring: Shaffer & Cesa Plead Guilty

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A cross-state drug pipeline funneling thousands of oxycodone pills and pounds of methamphetamine into Northwestern Pennsylvania has cracked, with two key players admitting guilt in federal court. The operation, active between February 2010 and September 2011, saturated Jefferson County and surrounding areas with highly addictive narcotics, leaving a trail of addiction and profit in its wake.

Joshua Shaffer, 35, of Hiawatha, Iowa, and Joe Cesa, 26, of Kersey, Pennsylvania, each pleaded guilty to one count of violating federal narcotics laws before United States District Judge David S. Cercone. Shaffer, the alleged source of the supply, reportedly shipped the drugs from his Florida base using a network of couriers and the U.S. mail. He wasn’t just moving small amounts; authorities say the conspiracy involved the distribution of 10,000 oxycodone tablets and two pounds of methamphetamine.

The financial scope of the operation is staggering. Shaffer allegedly sold oxycodone tablets for up to $25 apiece, with street-level dealers marking them up to $35 or $40. Methamphetamine was wholesaled at a cool $5600 per ounce, then broken down and sold for individual use. Investigators estimate the total street value of the drugs Shaffer pushed into Pennsylvania exceeded $500,000 – a fortune built on addiction.

Joe Cesa’s role was as a street-level dealer, peddling the oxycodone supplied by Shaffer and other co-conspirators. He was a cog in the machine, profiting from the misery of others. With Cesa and Shaffer’s pleas, seven of the nine defendants originally indicted have now admitted guilt. Two remain, and are scheduled to face trial in November.

Judge Cercone has scheduled sentencing for December 13, 2013. Cesa faces up to 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine. Shaffer, facing more severe penalties due to his role as the source, could receive a sentence ranging from 10 years to life in prison, along with a fine of up to $10,000,000. The final sentences will be determined based on sentencing guidelines and the defendants’ criminal histories.

The takedown was the result of a joint investigation led by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Pennsylvania State Police, with assistance from the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office in a related investigation targeting other oxycodone distributors. Assistant United States Attorney Gregory J. Nescott is prosecuting the case, aiming to dismantle this interstate drug network and hold those responsible accountable for flooding Pennsylvania communities with deadly narcotics.

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