(File photo of Federal Court in Pittsburgh)

Story by Beaver County Radio Staff
(Pittsburgh, Pa.) A Houston Texas man pled guilty yesterday in federal court to violation of federal narcotics laws related to a nine-month Title III wiretap investigation into drug trafficking in and around Allegheny, Jefferson, and Clearfield counties
36- year-old Jesus Gonzalez pled guilty to one count of conspiracy and one count of possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine before United States District Judge Christy Criswell Wiegand. Gonzalez was one of 47 defendants charged in six related indictments as part of the Return to Sender investigation.
On October 22, 2020, Gonzalez and three other individuals chartered a private plane and transported six kilograms of cocaine from Houston to Pittsburgh International Airport. Investigators obtained a search warrant for the plane and seized the cocaine from two pieces of luggage.
Judge Wiegand scheduled sentencing for Feb. 6, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not less than 10 years to a maximum of life in prison, a fine not to exceed $10,000,000, or both.