PITTSBURGH — A resident of Kersey has been sentenced in federal court to 28 months of imprisonment followed by four years of supervised release on his conviction for violating federal narcotics laws related to a nine-month Title III wiretap investigation into drug trafficking in and around the counties of Jefferson, Clearfield, and Allegheny, U.S. Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced.

U.S. District Judge Christy Criswell Wiegand imposed the sentence on Melvin Shelander, age 33.

According to information presented to the court, Shelander was a methamphetamine distributor who obtained over a pound of meth from Derek Hillebrand, which Shelander then redistributed.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan D. Lusty prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

Olshan commended the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, United States Postal Service – Office of Inspector General, United States Postal Inspection Service, Internal Revenue Services, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, Allegheny County Police, and Pennsylvania State Police.

Also assisting were the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office, Clearfield County District Attorney’s Office, and the Clarion Borough Police Department for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Shelander.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor- led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.