Pittsburgh man sentenced to 5 years in prison, fine for marijuana trafficking
A Pittsburgh man was sentenced to five years in federal prison for his role in a marijuana trafficking conspiracy.
Christopher Schanck, 36, was convicted of conspiracy to distribute marijuana and money laundering.
Senior U.S. District Judge David S. Cercone imposed the sentence, as well as four years supervised release and a $1,500 fine.
Federal authorities said Schanck and his co-conspirators arranged for marijuana to be supplied from the West Coast and mailed to the Pittsburgh area through the U.S. Postal Service from 2012 through 2017.
He and his co-conspirators would then distribute the marijuana in Western Pennsylvania, primarily on college campuses, such as Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Investigators determined Schanck conspired to distribute from 100 to 400 kilograms of marijuana and launder drug trafficking proceeds.
His codefendant and brother, Ryan Schanck, was previously sentenced to 71 months in prison.
The federal Drug Enforcement Agency, the IRS, and Pittsburgh and Indiana, Pa. police conducted the investigation.
Michael DiVittorio is a TribLive reporter covering general news in Western Pennsylvania, with a penchant for festivals and food. He can be reached at mdivittorio@triblive.com.
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