Pittsburgh woman pleads guilty to role in crack ring tied to West End gang

A Pittsburgh woman pleaded guilty for her role in a crack cocaine ring with ties to the “Greenway Boy Killas” street gang, federal prosecutors said Monday.

Mardeja Chapple, 24, was among 28 suspects nabbed last summer in a wiretap probe targeting the gang also known as “the GBK” and the trafficking of crack cocaine, powder cocaine and heroin in Pittsburgh’s West End.

Investigators said they learned that, between November 2017 and June 2018, Chapple conspired with others to distribute more than 28 grams of crack cocaine in an area the FBI referred to as the “Greenway Projects.”

Chapple faces a sentence of 10 years to life in prison and a fine of up to $8 million.

U.S. District Judge Arthur J. Schwab scheduled sentencing for June 24.

Bryan Smith, 24, of Pittsburgh became the first person to plead guilty in the broader drug ring case in mid-December. He faces up to 30 years in prison. Smith’s sentencing is scheduled for May 28.

Assistant U.S. attorneys Rachel Dizard and Tonya Sulia Goodman are prosecuting the case with help from the FBI, Drug Enforcement Agency and the state Attorney General’s Office.

Police from departments in Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Robinson, Stowe, Wilkinsburg and McKees Rocks assisted in the investigation.