Six Pittsburgh-area residents are in FBI (web) custody on charges they conspired to distribute more than 220 pounds of marijuana.

Details of the alleged ring aren't expected to emerge because federal prosecutors say criminal complaints will likely remain sealed even after the suspects appear before a federal magistrate Thursday.

Five suspects are from the northern suburbs of McCandless, Allison Park and Cranberry, though one suspect lives in Pittsburgh.

U.S. Attorney's spokeswoman Margaret Philbin says two people are also being arrested in Florida and a "number of people" in Canada are also implicated in the scheme.

Philbin won't say how long the ring allegedly operated or how much marijuana it allegedly moved. The 220-pound minimum charged is a statutory limit, not the actual amount of drugs in question.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Email To A Friend