Southern California man gets 10 years for trafficking meth in PA

A Long Beach man was sentenced to 10 years in prison after being convicted of methamphetamine trafficking in Pennsylvania, federal officials announced on Tuesday.

Prosecutors said between April 2019 and July 2021, 62-year-old Derrick Polk conspired to possess and distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture of methamphetamine in the Western District of Pennsylvania.

“Further, in and around April 2021, Polk possessed with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture of methamphetamine,” the Department of Justice (DOJ) stated in a news release.

A federal wiretap captured Polk obtaining the drugs, which he later distributed to others.

Polk was also sentenced on Monday to five years of supervised release following his 10-year prison term. He will also have to forfeit $399,000 in U.S. currency, a firearm, and various Rolex watches and jewelry valued at over $150,000.

This prosecution is part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), which identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations, the news release stated.