Cleveland Man Sentenced To Federal Prison On Firearm & Drug Offenses
Sunday, November 3, 2024, 9:15 A.M. ET. 1 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
PITTSBURGH, PA.- On Thursday, October 31, 2024, Justin Nichols, 30, of Cleveland, Ohio, appeared in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania and was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Stewart Cercone to 178 months in federal prison to be followed by four years of supervised release on his convictions for drug trafficking and firearms crimes.
According to U.S. Attorney Eric G. Olshan and charging documents filed with the district court for several months in 2023, Nichols engaged in a large-scale interstate drug trafficking operation. The operation transported large amounts of fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine from Cleveland, Ohio, into the Western District of Pennsylvania, specifically Mercer County, Pennsylvania, also possessing a firearm.
During that time, Nichols was on parole in Ohio following several prior convictions and prison terms for violent firearms and drug crimes.
Nichols Pleads Guilty To Three Charges
Nichols previously appeared in the U.S. District Court and pleaded guilty in this case to the charges of Possession with Intent to Distribute 40 Grams or More of a Mixture Containing Fentanyl and Heroin and a Quantity of Cocaine in Sharon, Pennsylvania, Possession with Intent to Distribute 40 Grams or More of Fentanyl, 100 Grams or More of Heroin and a Quantity of Cocaine, and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense.
   U.S. Attorney Olshan commended the Mercer County Drug Task Force, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General for successfully prosecuting Nichols.
