Federal officials: Members of Westmoreland County-based drug ring indicted
Mar. 2—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — A group of 25 people have been indicted, accused by federal prosecutors of conspiring together to sell cocaine and fentanyl across western Pennsylvania and beyond.
Most of them are accused of conspiring to distribute more than a pound — or 500 grams — of cocaine through an alleged Westmoreland County-based drug ring that has been operating since August 2018, an indictment shows.
The document was unsealed Thursday in federal court in Johnstown.
Margaret Philbin, a spokeswoman with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Pittsburgh, said the indictments coincided with raids conducted in Westmoreland and Indiana counties early Thursday, which included the New Kensington, Arnold and Vandergrift areas.
The indictment itself did not specify where the drug activity was alleged.
It listed 19 men and six women — a number of whom have prior records of convictions in Westmoreland, Indiana or Allegheny counties, or in Cuyahoga County, Ohio.
More than $1,700 in cash was also seized, as well as a 9mm pistol, U.S. Attorney Cindy Chung and Arnold Bernard Jr. wrote.
Philbin said a press conference was planned for Friday in Pittsburgh to release additional details about the investigation.
