Washington County man charged by grand jury with scheming to sell cocaine

A Washington County man has been accused by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh of attempting to sell more than 500 grams of cocaine, federal prosecutors said.

Patrick Ellis, 43, of the city of Washington, faces a narcotics charge in a one-count indictment in which Ellis is named as the sole defendant, U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady said.

If convicted, Ellis faces a minimum of five years and a maximum of up to 40 years in federal prison, Brady said.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark V. Gurzo is prosecuting the case.

Agencies that assisted in the investigation that led to the indictment included Pennsylvania State Police, the Allegheny County Police Department, Port Authority of Allegheny County, the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office and police officers from Pittsburgh, Stowe and North Versailles.

The investigation was part of the national Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Taskforce, which aims to dismantle high-level drug traffickers.