Pennsylvania
13 Charged in Alleged Drug and Gun Trafficking Ring in Northwest Pennsylvania – MyChesCo
HARRISBURG, PA — Attorney General Michelle Henry announced the 51st Statewide Investigating Grand Jury has recommended charges this week against 13 individuals in connection with an alleged drug and gun trafficking ring based in Erie and Crawford counties.
The arrest operation commenced late last week with the apprehension of Quran Lindsey-Cooley, 25, identified as the purported leader of the organization. Lindsey-Cooley faces numerous charges, including involvement in corrupt organizations, felony drugs and firearms offenses, among other related charges.
Investigators allege that Lindsey-Cooley and Daymeon Duck, 26, orchestrated a trafficking network that involved selling fentanyl/heroin and methamphetamine, while also supplying firearms to their associates.
The Office of Attorney General’s Bureau of Narcotics Investigations tracked the activities of Lindsey-Cooley, Duck, and their associates, leading to the initiation of Grand Jury proceedings in 2022. This resulted in the recent presentment of charges.
“This network of defendants was committed to pushing poisons into numerous communities in the northwest corner of the Commonwealth, and they possessed firearms to protect their profitable operation,” Attorney General Henry said. She commended the agents for their diligent work and expressed gratitude to the grand jurors whose efforts have contributed to making neighborhoods safer.
Those charged and arrested in recent days include:
- Quran Lindsey-Cooley (bail set at $250,000)
- Daymeon Duck (posted $75,000 bail)
- Tyreem Craig (bail set at $250,000)
- Tiffany Fletcher (bail set at $50,000)
- Steven Mills (bail set at $50,000)
- Kaelesha Johnson (released on unsecured bail)
- Penny Cattledge (released on $100,000 unsecured bail)
- Jody Joint (awaiting arraignment)
- Antonio Jefferson (released on $50,000 unsecured bail)
Four other individuals charged remain at large: Brant Rittenhouse, Kevin Carter, Edwin Peelman, and Dustin Sudul.
Multiple search warrants executed by law enforcement resulted in the seizure of methamphetamine, fentanyl, pills containing fentanyl, seven firearms, and cash proceeds from trafficking activities.
Assisting agencies included the City of Erie Bureau of Police, City of Meadville Police, City of St. Marys Police, Elk County District Attorney’s Detective Bureau, Edinboro Borough Police, Emporium Borough Police, Erie County District Attorney’s Detective Bureau, Girard Borough Police, Lake City Borough Police, Lawrence County District Attorney’s Detectives, New Castle Police, and Millcreek Township Police.
The defendants will be prosecuted by the Office of Attorney General’s Drug Strike Force Section. It is important to remember that all charges are accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
For the latest news on everything happening in Chester County and the surrounding area, be sure to follow MyChesCo on Google News and Microsoft Start.
Pennsylvania
Attorney General Dave Sunday visits Pittsburgh to discuss fight against fentanyl trafficking
Fentanyl continues to destroy lives across the state, and western Pennsylvania is not immune.
Pennsylvania’s attorney general was in Pittsburgh on Monday to talk about how to stop the flow of the dangerous drug.
First, there was OxyContin, then there was heroin, and now, fentanyl is what’s taking so many lives when it comes to illegal drugs.
Attorney General Dave Sunday has released some shocking numbers. He says the battle against the deadly drug is ongoing, and they’re making progress, but this war is far from over.
“The mission is to stop fentanyl, to remove fentanyl from our streets, in our streets and neighborhoods, and to hold accountable the predatory traffickers profiting in death and destruction,” Attorney General Sunday said.
Sunday pointed out the cold reality in the form of numbers. Figures that he says add up to the fatal toll the illegal drug continues to produce.
“We have seized more than 100,000 grams, which is more than 220 pounds, through September, which puts us at over 50 million doses and counting,” Attorney General Sunday said. “Nearly 18 million doses have been seized in the greater Pittsburgh area.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control, in 2024, statewide, 3,358 people died from overdose deaths. Sixty percent of those deaths were from fentanyl, with 665 of the victims coming from Allegheny County alone.
“[The drug] enters the United States from Mexico, from chemicals in China,” Attorney General Sunday said, but it’s not exclusive.
Law enforcement officials say the precursor chemicals for fentanyl are also flowing into American ports on both coasts, with millions of pills being produced in clandestine production facilities in homes, apartments, and businesses.
“People are obtaining these pill presses, they’re making these pills, they’re making their way to schools, to colleges, to parties; it’s unbelievably dangerous,” Attorney General Sunday said.
These operations are dramatically dropping the cost of the deadly drugs.
“A few years ago, an ounce of fentanyl could be upwards of $8,000. That’s 14,000 doses of fentanyl. Today, an ounce can be purchased for $200.”
Attorney General Sunday added that times are dark, but there is hope. He cited the Law Enforcement Treatment Initiative program, otherwise known as LETI.
“The program diverts individuals out of the criminal justice system and into treatment,” Sunday said. “Long-term recovery is a very real thing.”
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania State Police investigating after man’s body found on state game lands in Westmoreland County
Pennsylvania State Police are investigating after a man’s body was found on Saturday night in Westmoreland County.
A hunter came across the body on state game lands across from the 17th hole of the Mannitto Golf Course in New Alexandria.
The victim was later identified as Robert Friend, state police said via social media.
Police have not said how Friend died, but they are calling his death suspicious. Anyone who saw Friend on Friday is asked to contact the Pennsylvania State Police Troop A barracks at 724-697-5780.
More information is expected to be made public on Monday, police said.
The police were present on the campus, while a witness said that they saw one of the victims receiving CPR.
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