Mahoning Valley man pleads guilty to role in fentanyl pill trafficking conspiracy

A 25-year-old man has pleaded guilty to his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy involving fentanyl pills shipped from Arizona to Ohio.

Alijaha Scott, of Youngstown, Ohio, pleaded guilty to the following charges:

• Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances
• Interstate Travel in Aid of Racketeering

According to court documents, from about April 2022 to 2024, Scott and other co-conspirators engaged in a drug trafficking operation that included shipping parcels of fentanyl pills from Arizona to the Youngstown area, where the pills were redistributed to customers.

On Aug. 2, 2023, Scott flew from Ohio to Arizona, shipped a drug parcel to the Youngtown area, and then flew back to Ohio. Law enforcement stopped Scott on Interstate 80 after he returned from the trip and found a vacuum-sealing machine (commonly used to package bulk drugs or cash for smuggling) in his suitcase.

Law enforcement also reviewed cellphone evidence, which showed Scott was talking to another conspirator about fentanyl pills.

Scott is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 4. A federal district court judge will determine sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion.

The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders.

In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Cleveland comprises agents and officers from federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.

The prosecution is being led by Assistant United States Attorney James P. Lewis for the Northern District of Ohio.