Troy Rivetti, acting US Attorney, said Thursday that three Pennsylvania residents had been sentenced to prison for drug trafficking.
Azheem Ellis, 49, of Philadelphia; James Dotson, 47, of Johnstown; and Sandra Box, 59, of East Conemaugh, were all sentenced by U.S. District Judge Marilyn J. Horan after being found guilty of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute crack cocaine, cocaine, fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine.
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According to the investigators, Ellis plotted with others between April 2018 and July 2021 to distribute and possess several grams of fentanyl, meth, and heroin, among other controlled narcotics. Dotson was also actively selling drugs around the same period, as well as illegally possessing a handgun in June 2021, despite having previously been convicted of a felony. From February 2021 until April 21, Box conspired to distribute large quantities of heroin and crack.
A government wiretap caught all the defendants while they were obtaining drugs. Rivetti stated that the wiretap primarily targeted Ellis and Dotson.
Ellis earned 96 months in jail and five years of supervised release. Dotson was sentenced to 180 months in jail and ten years of supervised release, while Box received 33 months in prison and three years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Rivetti praised a number of state and local law enforcement organizations, including the FBI’s Laurel Highlands Resident Agency, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Cambria Township Police Department, for their assistance in the investigation.
