Dauphin County man sentenced for role in multimillion-dollar drug ring

FILE – In this Friday, March 22, 2019, file photo, a marijuana plant is seen at the Compassionate Care Foundation medical marijuana dispensary in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will decide whether to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, a history spanning generations of U.S. drug policies that could have wide-ranging repercussions across the country. The DEA's proposal must still be reviewed by the White House Office of Management and Budget. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, file)

(WHTM) – A Dauphin County man has been sentenced to 9 years in prison for his role in a multi-million dollar marijuana ring.

The Justice Department says Jose Laboy, of Susquehanna Township, pleaded guilty to being part of a group that shipped marijuana from California to Fastlane Auto Sales on Paxton Street.

The Justice Department says hundreds of packages containing drugs were received and cash was returned to California. The packages used GPS tracking devices to track the drugs and money.

A judge said Laboy was responsible for trafficking 100 to 400 kilograms of marijuana between 2017 and 2020.

During this operation, members of the network discovered that a postal employee was stealing marijuana through the mail. Members of the group shot up a car in Harrisburg, a home in Steelton and a home in Susquehanna Township to arrest the suspected thief and also robbed and assaulted the employee at gunpoint.

Laboy was not found responsible for the violence associated with the group.

Several other Harrisburg men have pleaded guilty to the scheme.

These cases were investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Susquehanna Township Police Department, and the Pennsylvania State Police.