Former Pittsburgh resident sentenced to 34 years for fentanyl trafficking, money laundering

PITTSBURGH — A former Pittsburgh resident was sentenced in federal court to 34 years in prison for fentanyl trafficking and money laundering.

Paris Carter, 35, was found guilty of conspiring to distribute hundreds of grams of fentanyl and conspiring to commit money laundering earlier this year.

The Department of Justice said between January 2017 and February 2018, Carter arranged for fentanyl and acetyl fentanyl to be imported to Pittsburgh from China.

He then arranged for the drugs to be sold in the Pittsburgh area.

With the proceeds from his drug trafficking, the DOJ says Cater moved to Beverly Hills, California, where he rented two different houses at costs of $14,500 and $10,000 per month.

In addition to the house rentals, Carter leased two Bentleys and a Mercedes Benz.

“Paris Carter’s time driving Bentleys and living a life of luxury in Beverly Hills has come to an end,” said U.S. Attorney Eric Olshan. “Today, a federal judge imposed a 34-year prison sentence, an appropriate punishment for a defendant who flooded the Pittsburgh area with kilogram quantities of Chinese-sourced fentanyl. Holding the most dangerous and prolific drug traffickers accountable to the fullest extent of the law is and will remain a top priority for our office and our valued partners in federal, state, and local law enforcement.”

Before handing down the sentence, the judge said her decision reflected “both the course of conduct Carter chose to pursue and flagrancy Carter adopted in his actions.”

The DOJ said Carter was previously convicted of a serious drug felony, possession with the intent to distribute heroin, and was sentenced to 37 months in prison in 2011.

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