Police: Arrests made in trafficking ring
Three Valley men are accused of selling guns and drugs in a multi-county operation.
By the MVI
Four men — including three from Monessen — are accused of selling guns, fentanyl and heroin to an undercover officer over recent months, according to Attorney General Dave Sunday.
Investigators said their investigation led to more than 47,000 doses of heroin/fentanyl taken off the streets.
David Jeffries, 34, James Womack, 33, and Shelton Payne, 34, all of Monessen, are charged with conspiracy and corrupt organizations and possession of a firearm prohibited.
Andre Ellis-Barnes, 41, of Wilkinsburg, was also charged with selling drugs to an undercover officer.
Ellis-Barnes and Womack additionally are charged with dealing in proceeds of an unlawful act.
“Fentanyl continues to fuel the opioid crisis in the Commonwealth and nationwide, and dealers use firearms to protect their lucrative trade,” Sunday said in a press release.
A search warrant was served Thursday at a home on South 14th Street in Monessen by state agents, Westmoreland County SWAT, Westmoreland County Drug Task Force and officers from North Huntingdon and Monessen, according to court papers. The search came after an undercover officer worked with the suspects to buy drugs over several months in Monessen, authorities said.
Officers allegedly found a handgun and about 328 grams of fentanyl and black tar heroin in Jeffries’ home.
From March through July, detectives with the North Huntingdon Township Police Department coordinated at least 10 controlled buys from Womack and his associates. These purchases took place in Monessen, Belle Vernon, Donora and Pittsburgh, often involving exchanges arranged over FaceTime and text messages, according to court records.
In the first controlled buy in March, undercover police observed one of the sellers on a FaceTime call where Womack showed an AR-15 style rifle over FaceTime and later sold it along with a handgun and multiple magazines. During the same encounter, Womack allegedly provided 37 bricks (approximately 1,850 stamp bags) of heroin, and fentanyl to the undercover cop.
In April, Womack delivered another 40 bricks, the complaint states. In May, he and Jeffries allegedly supplied 77 grams of fentanyl along with hundreds of unused stamp bags and packaging materials.
According to a criminal complaint, Womack sold firearms and facilitated the purchase of an AK-47 rifle through Payne, and he arranged another gun deal in mid-July.
He allegedly continued drug sales through late July, with a final buy where he supplied 32 bricks (an estimated 1,600 stamp bags) of heroin, and fentanyl marked “High Tolerance.”
Throughout the investigation, officers documented each incident with photographs, video and physical surveillance. Some of the stamps were labeled as “Greasy Gorilla,” “Exxon,” “Check Mark,” “A+” and “High Tolerance.”
The men face multiple felony charges, including possession with intent to deliver, conspiracy, illegal firearm transfers and dealing in proceeds of unlawful activity.
Jeffries was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge John Christner and remanded to the Westmoreland County Jail in lieu of $500,000 bond. Payne was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Wayne Vlasic, who sent him to the county jail with no bond. Court records state bond was denied because “imprisonment will assure safety of victims or community.”
Warrants were issued for Womack and Ellis-Barnes. Office of Attorney General agents were assisted in the investigation by the Westmoreland County Drug Task Force and the North Huntingdon, Monessen, Rostraver, New Kensington and Irwin police departments.
WTAE-TV contributed to this report.
