Leader of Homestead heroin ring sentenced to 24 years in prison

A Pittsburgh man who helped lead a large heroin distribution ring in Homestead will spend the next 24 years in prison, a federal judge ruled Friday.

A federal jury convicted Thomas Hopes, 24, in October of conspiring to distribute more than a kilogram of heroin and possession with intent to sell heroin.

U.S. District Judge Cathy Bissoon sentenced him Friday to 24 years in prison and five years of probation.

To show that Hopes was a leader, federal prosecutors showed that he lined up customers, had other people prepare stamp bags for sale, used runners to deliver heroin to customers and generally made strategic decisions about the ring's operations, according to court documents.