Aliquippa Resident Pleads Guilty to Cocaine and Fentanyl Trafficking

PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to drug trafficking charges, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.

Kijana Stephaun Lowe, 27, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge William S. Stickman IV to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and 400 grams or more of fentanyl, as well as one count of possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.

In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that federal, state, and local law enforcement operating under the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program in Beaver County conducted a joint investigation into a local drug trafficking organization in which Lowe was a participant. Law enforcement determined that Lowe frequently communicated with a co-defendant who was an inmate at State Correctional Institution Phoenix. Prison call recordings between Lowe and the inmate revealed that Lowe would order kilogram quantities of cocaine and fentanyl from the prisoner, who would then direct a co-defendant to deliver the controlled substances to Lowe. Lowe supplied the drugs to another co-defendant, who would subsequently sell them to end users.

In November 2021, investigators learned that an in-person delivery of kilogram quantities of cocaine was planned to Lowe in the Western District of Pennsylvania. On November 8, 2021, law enforcement conducted a surveillance operation at the Greyhound Bus Station in downtown Pittsburgh, where they observed two co-defendants exit the bus station with suitcases and enter a vehicle driven by third co-defendant. Mobile surveillance followed the vehicle to a motel in Coraopolis.

A separate surveillance detail followed Lowe from his residence to the same motel, where they observed Lowe enter the motel room occupied by the three co-defendants, and then, back outside, accept one of the suitcases transported from the bus station. Law enforcement detained the individuals and executed search warrants on the suitcase, the motel room, and Lowe's vehicle. The suitcase contained nearly 10 kilograms of cocaine, a Schedule II controlled substance, while Lowe's vehicle contained over $280,000 that was to be used to purchase the seized cocaine. In conjunction with the interdiction, law enforcement obtained search warrants for cell phones found in the possession of Lowe and one of the co-defendants. Digital extractions revealed numerous communications and photographs between the conspirators regarding their drug trafficking activity.

Judge Stickman scheduled Lowe's sentencing for March 12, 2025. The law provides for a total maximum sentence of not less than 10 years and up to life in prison, a fine of up to $10 million, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Pending sentencing, the Court remanded Lowe to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

Assistant United States Attorney Brendan J. McKenna and Special Assistant United States Attorney Kara Cotter are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General and Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Lowe.

One of Lowe's co-defendants, Adelin Hernandez Amparo of the Dominican Republic, today was sentenced, also by Judge Stickman, to 41 months of imprisonment, to be followed by two years of federal supervised release, for his role in the conspiracy.