Pittsburgh man, Penn Hills woman sentenced in Louisiana for transporting cocaine

A man and woman from southwestern Pennsylvania arrested more than two years ago for transporting about 16 pounds of cocaine in Louisiana were sentenced last week to federal prison there.

Joseph Wilbon, 52, of Pittsburgh, and Marva L. Flenory, 59, of Penn Hills, were sentenced to six and a half years and four years and nine months in a federal prison, respectively, for possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, according to U.S. Attorney David C. Joseph of the western district of Louisiana.

Federal Judge S. Maurice Hicks Jr. in Lafayette also sentenced the pair to three years of supervised release.

According to the July 19 guilty pleas, Louisiana State Police pulled over a vehicle Wilbon was driving June 8, 2016, in Calcasieu Parish, about 200 miles west of New Orleans. Wilbon and his passenger, Flenory, were traveling east at the time, Joseph reported.

The trooper summoned a K-9 officer and searched the vehicle discovering a large red suitcase containing six brick-like bundles of cocaine, totaling 15.96 pounds, according to online court documents.

Paul Peirce is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Paul at 724-850-2860, ppeirce@tribweb.com or via Twitter @ppeirce_trib.