(File Photo of a Gavel)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) Three men have been recently convicted for being in connection with a transnational drug operation which brought narcotics to western Pennsylvania. Twenty-nine-year-old Carlos Zamora of Phoenix, Arizona and twenty-eight-year-old Bryce Hill of Seattle Washington were found guilty of this crime after a trial of two-and-a-half weeks. Twenty-eight-year-old Jesus Ramirez of Phoenix, Arizona took his guilty plea for this crime during the middle of a trial. The evidence from this crime included rifles, handguns, 28 kilograms of fentanyl pills and 48 kilograms of meth. Hill and Zamora face no less than 10 years and up to life in prison, a fine of up to $10 million, or both and their sentencings have not been scheduled yet. Ramierez faces no less than five years and up to 40 years in prison, a fine of up to $5 million, or both, and will be sentenced on January 20th, 2026. These convictions follow ones for 29 additional co-defendants. According to Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti,  “These convictions are a testament to the collaborative efforts of law enforcement officers from multiple agencies throughout the country. Refusing to be bound by borders, law enforcement disrupted the deadly flow of fentanyl into western Pennsylvania by aggressively targeting conspirators in Phoenix, Seattle, Mexico, and elsewhere. This multi-year investigation enabled the seizure of millions of fentanyl tablets, the largest quantities ever obtained through an investigation based in western Pennsylvania.” In May of 2025, James Pinkston of New Kensington was sentenced to 220 months in prison in relation to this crime.