A Turtle Creek woman confessed to helping two siblings run a fentanyl ring out of their home, federal prosecutors said Tuesday.
Marleka Robinson, 26, pleaded guilty to one count of drug trafficking for her role in acquiring and preparing to sell fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and marijuana as part of the family members’ trafficking scheme, Acting U.S. Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman said.
Her brother and co-defendant, Jerry Coker, 30, of Turtle Creek pleaded guilty for his role in the drug ring in January. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison in late March.
An update on the status of sister and co-defendant Monique Robinson’s case was not immediately available.
A grand jury indicted the three siblings in November 2017 — about a year after Pittsburgh police observed Coker’s sisters obtaining a large quantity of fentanyl from a distributor in Knoxville at Coker’s request, court records show.
According to her guilty plea, Robinson brought the drugs to the home she shared with Coker and their sister in September 2016.
The next day, authorities served a search warrant at the residence and seized fentanyl weighing in at more than 285 grams — or about 10 ounces, along with small amounts of heroin, cocaine and marijuana.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid painkiller that can be 50 to 100 times stronger than heroin, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports. As little as 2 or 3 nanograms of fentanyl per milliliter of blood can be deadly.
Authorities said drug packaging and distributing materials were found strewn through the house, along with two guns and nearly $9,000 in cash.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Carolyn J. Bloch prosecuted the case with help from investigators with the Drug Enforcement Administration and Pittsburgh police.
According to Kaufman and federal sentencing guidelines, Robinson could face a sentence of not less than five years and up to 40 years in prison, plus a fine up to $5 million.
U.S. District Judge Cathy Bissoon scheduled her sentencing for Oct. 19.
