Pittsburgh man sentenced in drug raid that sickened 18 officers

A Pittsburgh man was sentenced to time served for conspiring to distribute a large amount of a fentanyl analogue three years ago , according to federal prosecutors.

Anthony Lozito, 40, of Pittsburgh’s West End neighborhood, allowed cyclopropyl fentanyl to be packaged in his Bond Street home in exchange for a share of the product, U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady said.

The fentanyl was provided by Lynell Guyton, who authorities said spearheaded a synthetic fentanyl-dealing operation in the West End during the summer of 2017, prosecutors said. According to authorities, Guyton purchased large quantities of the drugs from overseas and distributed them in Western Pennsylvania.

During an Aug. 9, 2017 raid of Lozito’s home, a table with cyclopropyl fentanyl was overturned, causing large amounts of the drug to scatter into the air. Eighteen Pittsburgh SWAT officers were sickened by the drug and sent to UPMC Mercy hospital to be medically evaluated, prosecutors said.

Everyone was medically cleared and no one was injured, prosecutors said.

Federal authorities said they found large amounts of drugs and packaging paraphernalia at Lozito’s house. Investigators seized a total of 235 grams of cyclopropyl fentanyl during the raids, according to federal authorities.

Guyton was in the home along with Lozito and two other people during the raid, authorities said. All four were packaging the drugs in stamp bags branded “Ferrari” and “Luis Vuitton,” authorities said.

Lozito pleaded guilty in September to conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute an analogue of fentanyl. He had been in jail for 2 years and 5 months at the time of his sentence. He will have three years of supervised release.