A man serving 30 to 60 years in prison after a jury said he "terrorized Centre County and State College with his network of drug dealers" was recently denied an appeal to the highest court in the state, according to a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Attorney General's office.

Spokesman Kevin Harley said Taji "Verbal" Lee's petition for allowance of appeal was denied by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, upholding the conviction delivered by the Court of Common Pleas in Centre County.

"We believe Taji Lee is exactly where he belongs, which is behind bars," Harley said.

In 2006, Lee was convicted in Centre County of four counts of possession with intent to deliver heroin; four counts of delivery of cocaine; four counts of delivery of heroin, criminal; five counts of criminal use of a communication facility; two counts of possession of heroin; three counts of possession with intent to deliver cocaine; three counts of possession of cocaine and one count of criminal conspiracy, according to court documents.

Police said he ran a drug operation that generated about $1.5 million in heroin and cocaine sales.

Defense attorney Ron McGlaughlin said with the state Supreme Court's Dec. 17 refusal to review the case, Lee has exhausted all his direct appeal rights. However, Lee does have a year from the date of the Supreme Court decisision to file another petition with the Court of Common Pleas, he said.

McGlaughlin added he expects Lee to challenge his own lawyer's effectiveness as an attorney in his next filing.

The state Supreme Court is not is not required to accept all appeals, McGlaughlin said, adding he thought there were issues raised that would make it likely the Supreme Court would accept the case.