14 Indicted In Alleged Moon Twp. Drug Ring
MOON TOWNSHIP (KDKA) -- Fourteen alleged members of a drug ring operating out of the Moon Township area are facing federal drug-related charges stemming from a year-long investigation.
FBI Special Agent Michael Christman said that the ring, allegedly run by 29-year-old Neil Thomas of North Fayette, was distributing what was billed as ecstasy to college students.
The drugs, which investigators say originated from Mexico, were being sold as the party drug "Molly," a type of ecstasy.
However, Christman said it was really mostly methamphetamine, with a little ecstasy mixed in it.
"We had a group based out of Moon Township and they weren't a conventional street gang; but what made it interesting is the fact that like many of our gang cases, they had an out-of-state source of supply," Christman.
Christman told a Friday afternoon news conference, "It was tested at 90 percent purity for meth, and Mexico was its source, selling it as ecstasy, to create a market for meth."
While we hear about a meth lab being busted occasionally, the problem in this area is not pervasive.
"Meth is a very addictive and devastating drug; and so far, we haven't seen a large market for it in Western Pa.," Christman added.
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