Fayette County man gets 3 years in prison for dealing heroin via 'Hustlas Don't Sleep' drug ring

Natasha Lindstrom, The Tribune-Review, Greensburg
·1 min read

Apr. 22—A Fayette County man will spend three years behind bars for dealing heroin and fentanyl in Western Pennsylvania for more than two years, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.

Andrew Welty, 29, of Everson was sentenced based on drug convictions from two separate cases covering illegal drug sales that happened between September 2017 and November 2019, U.S. Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman said.

In both cases, Welty pleaded guilty to possessing and plotting to sell heroin and fentanyl.

One of the cases stemmed from charges filed last year as part of an FBI investigation into a group of at least five people who identified themselves as "Hustlas Don't Sleep."

Last February, then-U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady announced separate but related indictments filed against Welty and four others. The group of drug traffickers sold a variety of controlled substances, including fentanyl, fentanyl analogues, crack cocaine and heroin, according to federal prosecutors.

The group primarily sold the drugs to addicts in McKeesport, Turtle Creek, Wilkinsburg and Monroeville as well as other parts of Western Pennsylvania, the investigation found.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan Conway prosecuted the cases against Welty. U.S. District Judge Marilyn J. Horan imposed his sentence, which includes six years of probation upon his release from prison.

The FBI led the investigation with help from Monroeville police, Allegheny County Police, the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office and Drug Enforcement Agency's Maryland office.

The broader investigation was funded by the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Program, which teams federal and local agencies to investigate and prosecute major drug trafficking cases.

Natasha Lindstrom is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Natasha at 412-380-8514, nlindstrom@triblive.com or via Twitter .

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