Feds: Crafton man caught with 4.5 pounds of fentanyl faces drug, gun charges; $100K seized

A Crafton man allegedly caught with nearly 4 ½ pounds of pure fentanyl, an AK-47 rifle and more than $100,000 in cash faces federal drug and gun charges, prosecutors said .

Robert Allen, 40, is accused of plotting to sell the fentanyl during April and May 2017, U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady said. A federal grand jury in Pittsburgh returned the four-count indictment this week.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid painkiller that can be 50 to 100 times stronger than heroin. As little as 2 or 3 nanograms of fentanyl per milliliter of blood can be deadly.

Prosecutors said they found Allen in possession of nearly 2,000 grams of fentanyl and drug packaging materials.

They seek to force Allen to forfeit to the federal government about $116,000 , a black Infinity SUV and a Romarm rifle, Brady said.

FBI agents seized the illegal drugs, gun and money while executing a series of search warrants in Allegheny County in May, 2017 in an operation spearheaded by the FBI’s Western Pennsylvania Opioid Task Force.

As a convicted felon, Allen was prohibited from having a firearm, prosecutors said.

Allen is the only defendant in the case.

Under federal sentencing guidelines, Allen could face a sentence of 15 years to life in prison and a fine up to $20 million, according to Brady.

The FBI conducted the investigation with help from police from Pittsburgh, Port Authority of Allegheny County, Munhall and West Mifflin.