Federal prosecutors say a Pittsburgh man who helped funnel kilogram quantities of cocaine into Western Pennsylvania will be spending the next dozen years in federal prison. Chief U.S. District Judge Cathy Bissoon handed down a 144-month sentence on Wednesday after investigators tied the defendant to a Green Tree stash apartment where they recovered a significant haul of cocaine.
Judge Hands Down 12-Year Federal Sentence
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Pennsylvania, Chief U.S. District Judge Cathy Bissoon sentenced 38-year-old Jamal Stoner to 144 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. Prosecutors said Stoner pleaded guilty after investigators tied him to kilogram-quantity cocaine shipments, and a Sept. 27, 2021 search of his stash apartment turned up 11 kilograms of cocaine.
Wiretap Probe Traced Shipments to Atlanta and Detroit
As reported by WPXI, the case grew out of a federal Title III wiretap investigation that led to a 2021 indictment naming 16 defendants across multiple states. Local reporting at the time said agents seized more than $400,000 and traced drug shipments moving between Atlanta, Detroit and the Pittsburgh region. Prosecutors say the indictments and subsequent guilty pleas and sentences were part of a coordinated effort to dismantle the trafficking network.
City Vista Stash Apartment, Seizures and Related Sentences
Court reporting identified Apartment 2002 at the City Vista complex in Green Tree as a key hub for the operation, with investigators recovering multiple kilos of cocaine and millions in cash over the course of the broader probe, according to Pittsburgh Union Progress. That outlet also reported that Detroit supplier Jesus Cuevas was later sentenced to 120 months in federal prison for his role, underscoring how the investigation produced prosecutions in several jurisdictions. Prosecutors said the group relied on couriers and bus routes to move large shipments into the Pittsburgh area.
Legal Context
The U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Pennsylvania stated that as part of his plea, Stoner admitted to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, conduct that federal law forbids. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine C. Jordan prosecuted the case, which the office said was brought under a Homeland Security Task Force initiative that brings together federal partners to target transnational and organized criminal groups. Judge Bissoon told the court the 12-year term was warranted in light of Stoner's recidivist history and his role in distributing kilogram quantities of cocaine.
Stoner will serve the 144-month sentence in federal custody, followed by five years of supervised release. Prosecutors say his case is one of several recent federal prosecutions in Western Pennsylvania aimed at disrupting large, multi-kilogram trafficking operations.
