Butler County man pleads guilty to drug, firearm violations stemming from 2022 traffic stop
A Butler County man pleaded guilty in federal court to drug and firearm charges Friday.
The Department of Justice says Durrell Fortson, 45, of Seven Fields, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute a quantity of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of that drug trafficking crime.
According to the plea, in November 2022, a drug K9 alerted officers to the presence of controlled substances during a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Fortson. After obtaining a search warrant, police found two gallon-sized bags of cocaine, two-kilogram wrappers with cocaine residue, a digital scale and a loaded .40 caliber handgun that had been reported stolen.
Fortson will be sentenced in June. He faces up to 20 years in prison, a $1 million fine, or both for the drug charge. He faces up to life in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both for the firearm charge.
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