Allegheny County Man Sentenced for Conspiring to Distribute Synthetic Cannabinoids

 PITTSBURGH, PA – Diassandai Serrano was sentenced to 35 months in prison for conspiring to distribute Schedule I synthetic cannabinoid controlled substances while on federal supervised release, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.

Serrano, age 26, formerly of North Versailles, Pennsylvania. was sentenced by United States District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan. Judge Ranjan sentenced Serrano to 27 months in prison for the drug trafficking conspiracy conviction and to 8 months in prison for the supervised release violation. Judge Ranjan ordered that the prison sentences be served consecutively to each other. Judge Ranjan also ordered Serrano to pay a $500 fine and to serve three years of supervised release following his prison sentence.

Serrano was previously convicted in 2015 and sentenced to serve 60 months in federal prison for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He was released to supervised release following the prior prison sentence. He then conspired to distribute the Schedule I synthetic cannabinoid controlled substances while on supervised release for the prior conviction. As part of the conspiracy, he supplied the controlled substances to other dealers, including to a co-defendant who was incarcerated at FCI-Hazelton at the time.

Assistant United States Attorney Craig W. Haller prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General led the multi-agency investigation that also included the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Beaver County District Attorney’s Office, the Department of Homeland Security/Homeland Security Investigations, the Pittsburgh Police Department, the United States Marshals Service, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Munhall Police Department, the Robinson Township Police Department, the McKees Rocks Police Department, the Stowe Township Police Department, the Etna Police Department, and the Erie County District Attorney’s Office.

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