A Lower Burrell woman has been sentenced to five years in federal prison and four years of supervised release in connection with a 2018 traffic stop in which she was caught with an assortment of illegal drugs, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
U.S. District Judge Nicholas Ranjan imposed the sentence on Amber Doller-Smith, 33, of Lower Burrell.
In February, Doller-Smith pleaded guilty in federal court to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and tramadol.
Prosecutors accused her of attempting to deal roughly 47 grams of a fentanyl-tramadol mixture, both of which are painkillers, according to U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady.
Doller-Smith’s attorney Robert Vincler said that since she pleaded guilty, the crime carries a mandatory sentence that the judge must impose.
“Based upon evidence the federal government had, it was evident she was going to be convicted,” he said. “She stepped up the plate, understanding the consequences.”
Doller-Smith was caught with the drugs on September 13, 2018, after Lower Burrell and New Kensington police departments pulled her over for reckless driving. Officers said they smelled marijuana coming from her SUV.
A K-9 officer led police on the scene to a purse on the front seat, which contained pills and a bank card with Doller-Smith’s name.
Police then requested a female officer to search Doller-Smith, who told police she had heroin concealed in her bra. Doller-Smith gave the female officer the drugs when she got to the scene, Brady said. A laboratory analysis of the fentanyl-tramadol mixture revealed it had a net weight of 46.53 grams.
Brady commended the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Lower Burrell Police Department, and the New Kensington Police Department for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Doller-Smith.
