Western District of Pennsylvania | Arizona Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Role in Transnational Drug Trafficking and Money Laundering Operation

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A Phoenix, Arizona resident has been sentenced in federal court to 180 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, based on his convictions for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine, fentanyl and methamphetamine, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, U.S. Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.

U.S. District Judge Kim R. Gibson imposed the sentence on Jairo Morales, 22, on August 8, 2024. Morales was one of 35 defendants charged in January in a second, superseding indictment alleging their participation in a domestic and international narcotics trafficking and money laundering conspiracy involving significant quantities of fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine.

According to information presented to the court, from August 2021 to June 2023, in the Western District of Pennsylvania, Morales conspired with others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, 400 grams or more of fentanyl, and 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Further, from April 2022 to March 2023, Morales conspired with others to commit money laundering. Morales was intercepted on a federal wiretap obtaining quantities of cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine that he distributed to others. The court found that Morales was responsible for conspiring to distribute 7.48 kilograms of cocaine, 83 kilograms of fentanyl, and 72 kilograms of methamphetamine, and that Morales possessed firearms in connection with that drug trafficking activity.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Arnold P. Bernard Jr. prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.

United States Attorney Olshan commended the Laurel Highlands Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations for the investigation that led to the successful prosecution of Morales. Other agencies that participated in the investigation include the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, United States Postal Inspection Service, and other local law enforcement agencies.

This prosecution is part of an investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by utilizing a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.