13 charged in takedown of northwestern Pennsylvania drug and gun trafficking network
HARRISBURG, Pa. (KDKA) -- Thirteen people are facing charges after the takedown of a drug and gun trafficking network operating in northwestern Pennsylvania, the state attorney general announced on Friday.
According to investigators, 25-year-old Quran Lindsey-Cooley led the ring, which operated out of Erie and Crawford counties. Prosecutors said Lindsey-Cooley, along with 26-year-old Daymeon Duck, coordinated the trafficking operation, using associates to sell drugs and supplying them with guns.
The Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General said an arrest operation began late last week when Lindsey-Cooley was taken into custody on charges, including corrupt organizations, felony drugs and firearms offenses.
A statewide investigating grand jury recommended charges against 13 people. Nine of them have been arrested, prosecutors said.
After carrying out multiple searches, agents seized quantities of methamphetamine, fentanyl, seven guns and cash, the attorney general's office said.
"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 Michelle Henry said in a news release. "I commend the agents involved in tracking down this ring, and thank the grand jurors for their time and attention, which has made many neighborhoods safer as a result."
Multiple law enforcement agencies in Erie and Crawford counties helped with the investigation, along with New Castle police and the Lawrence County District Attorney's Office.