PITTSBURGH, Pa. — Federal officials said they have charged 19 people from western Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Ohio with running a large drug network across multiple states.
Eighteen people were charged on August 1 with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, five kilograms or more of cocaine, 100 grams or more of heroin, and a quantity of oxycodone from August 2023 to July 2024. The charges were made public by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
Prosecutors said the operation bought drugs in Detroit, MI and New Castle, PA. They said that several runners made trips between the two cities and brought drugs in from other parts of the country.
One of the group’s members, 33-year-old Detroit resident Christian Frierson, was caught driving back from California near Omaha, Nebraska, with a safe holding 1,000 grams of fentanyl and nearly 250 grams of heroin in March 2024. This led to an investigation into the group.
After he got out of jail, prosecutors said they used wiretaps, informants, controlled sales, and other methods to find out more about the group. They found out that they hired people in Detroit to run drug “trap houses” in New Castle.
The FBI and its partners work together to keep this poison out of all neighborhoods, according to FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek. “Operations that involve more than one state or jurisdiction show that we are all in this together,” he said. “We will not stand by while crime holds our neighborhoods hostage. This is our message to people who want to sell illegal drugs and guns.”
These 19 people are named:
- 33-year-old Christian Frierson from Detroit, MI
- Hurt Adams, 54, of Oak Park, MI
- Chris Barton, 24, from New Castle, PA
- Patrick Brown, 32, from Detroit, MI
- Roy Brown, age 55, from Westland, MI
- Frank Christian, age 51, from Youngstown, OH
- Trent Davis, 35, from Detroit, MI
- 30-year-old Edward Dietrich from New Castle, PA
- Michelle Donnell, 55, of New Castle, PA
- 55-year-old Dedric Higginbotham from Detroit, MI
- Kiara Jones, 24, from New Castle, PA
- Quinten Jones, 38, lives in Detroit, MI.
- Ken King, 37, of New Castle, PA
- Jack Jermain Lett, 52, from Detroit, MI
- Marc Mason, 32, from New Castle, PA
- Daniel Rasnick, age 27, from New Castle, PA
- 32-year-old Kendra Sager from New Castle, PA
- 42-year-old Jauan Searcy from New Castle, PA
- George Wyatt, 62, from New Castle, PA
Each defendant could get between 10 years and life in prison, a fine of up to $10 million, or both if they are found guilty. The exact sentence will depend on how bad their crime was and if they have a criminal past.