Nearly $300K worth of fentanyl seized at Downtown Pittsburgh Greyhound bus station
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Close to $300,000 worth of suspected fentanyl was seized after two busts at the Greyhound bus terminal in Downtown Pittsburgh. It was the second large bust in the past three weeks at the station.
Police arrested Abimelec Libran-Calcano and Rafael Soto for bringing more 960 bricks of fentanyl with them on a Greyhound bus to Pittsburgh from Philadelphia and New York. Investigators believe those drugs were intended to be distributed in McKeesport.
Agents with the attorney general's office along with assisting agents conducted a narcotics surveillance at the downtown Greyhound bus terminal on Tuesday.
At around 11 a.m., Libran-Calcano and Soto allegedly got off their buses with the drugs in suitcases.
"Fentanyl is an incredibly dangerous drug that is plaguing Pennsylvania communities. Thanks to strong law enforcement collaboration, we've prevented this suspect from selling 48,100 more doses of this poison," Acting Attorney General Michelle Henry said in a press release.
Investigators estimate the street value of the seized fentanyl to be around $290,000 dollars. But this wasn't the first large drug bust at the bus station this year either.
Earlier this month, agents seized 1,500 bricks of heroin and fentanyl believed to be sold on the streets of Pittsburgh and McKeesport.
Business owners near Greyhound call the news startling but say they don't think that will deter customers from coming Downtown.
"I think we're in a beautiful location as far as in the Downtown Pittsburgh area and that was something that happened on the bus. So it shouldn't hurt our business by far," said Deborah Key with the Art & Soul Cafe.
Both men are charged with possession with the intent to deliver. Their preliminary hearings are scheduled for next month.
