Ambridge Crack Dealer Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison

PITTSBURGH, PA - A resident of Beaver County, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to five years in prison and five years of supervised release on his conviction of violations of the federal narcotics laws, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

United States District Judge Mark R. Hornak imposed the sentence on Matthew Smith, 53, of Ambridge, Pa.

According to information presented to the court, Smith conspired with others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine base, in the form commonly known as crack, a Schedule II controlled substance, and a quantity of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cociane..

Assistant United States Attorney Robert C. Schupansky prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

This prosecution was part of a long-term investigation by the FBI Greater Pittsburgh Safe Streets Task Force (GPSSTF), which targeted a large scale Drug Trafficking Organization operating in Butler, Beaver and Allegheny Counties. The GPSSTF is comprised of dedicated law enforcement professionals from the Wilkinsburg Police Department, Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Bureau of Narcotics Investigations, Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, Allegheny County Police Department, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and the FBI.

This investigation was funded by the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Program (OCDETF). The OCDETF program 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.

United States Attorney Brady commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation, along with the other federal, state and local agencies involved, for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Smith.