Wilmerding felon gets 6+ years on drug charges

A Wilmerding man who according to federal prosecutors once fired some 30 shots at two police officers was sentenced Wednesday to more than six years in prison on drug charges brought in the fall.

U.S. District Judge Marilyn Horan imposed a term of 80 months on Keith Navarro-Palmer, 34.

The sentence had been agreed upon by defense and prosecution as part of a plea deal in September.

Palmer was indicted in July 2019 on one count pertaining to an incident on May 15 of that year in which Wilkinsburg police said he possessed with intent to distribute more than 100 grams of a mixture of fentanyl, heroin and tramadol.

According to the U.S. attorney’s office, the drugs were in the form of a large quantity of pills that resembled oxycodone hydrochloride 15-milligram tablets.

The indictment further noted that Navarro-Palmer had previously been convicted of attempted murder and aggravated assault. According a police complaint, those convictions in 2009 stemmed from an incident on June 4, 2005, in which NavarroPalmer fired “in excess of 30 rounds at two Pittsburgh police officers,” the U.S. Attorney’s office said.

At the time of the indictment on federal drug charges, then-U.S. Attorney Scott Brady warned residents about the dangers of pills that look legitimate.

“Pills purchased on the street may contain potentially deadly drugs masquerading as legal prescription medications,” he said. ”Don’t risk your life. Only take medications that have been prescribed by your doctor and filled by your pharmacist.”