Armstrong roundup targets drug dealer suspects

A roundup of two dozen drug dealer suspects operating in Armstrong and Clarion counties has proved what law enforcement officials have suspected: Much of the heroin coming into the area originates in Pittsburgh, Detroit and Cleveland.

“This is the end of a seven-month investigation,” said Armstrong County District Attorney Scott Andreassi. “Over the course of the investigation, we took 200 bricks of heroin off the street.”

That amounts to 10,000 packets of heroin, usually referred to as “stamp bags,” with an estimated street value of $150,000.

Ford City District Judge Gary DeComo issued warrants for 18 Armstrong County suspects, three from Allegheny County and two from Indiana County. All face felony charges including drug possession, possession with intent to deliver and criminal use of a communication facility.

DeComo also issued a warrant for a Michigan man, Shamon “Kelly” Lynn Beavers.

Beavers is accused of introducing at least $2 million in heroin and cocaine into Armstrong County in the past year, said Sgt. Frank Pitzer of the county Drug Task Force. Beavers and five other suspects are still at large.

“He was the lead supplier,” Pitzer said. “He's a direct link to Detroit.”

Over the course of the investigation, agents concluded that drugs were being trafficked in from Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Detroit, according to Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane.

The street-level sweep also targeted those accused of midlevel to low-level dealing in Armstrong, Clarion and Indiana counties.

Armstrong and Clarion have had a 400 percent increase in drug dependency referrals in the past year and a rise in the number of students using heroin, Kane said in a statement.

“No community is immune to the heroin epidemic,” Kane said. “Heroin traffickers view rural areas as a gold mine for customers, but we are one step ahead of them. We are pooling our resources and intelligence to fight back and make our communities safer.”

Suspects were taken this morning to the National Guard Armory in Manor. They were arraigned there before DeComo, then transported to Armstrong County Jail.

“This bust is bigger and more extensive with more resources, targeting larger suppliers,” Andreassi said. “We recognized early on that what we were looking at was much larger than what we could address with our resources.”

The effort involved agents from Kane's office, the Clarion County District Attorney's Office and the Armstrong County Sheriff's Department. Ten local police departments — including Kittanning, Ford City and Leechburg, and the Armstrong and Clarion county drug task forces — also took part in the investigation.

“It's been a cooperative effort that started in the summer months,” Armstrong County Sheriff Bill Rupert said. “We're as addicted to getting these guys are they are to the drug itself.”

The investigation included undercover purchases and controlled buys throughout the three counties. Informants, anonymous tips and drug-related arrests helped law enforcement gather information, Andreassi said.

According to him, the roundup put a “significant dent” in Armstrong County's drug trade.

“It's going to disrupt that supply chain, but it can't end here today,” he said. “If we don't stay vigilant, someone else will take their place. So we just keep fighting the battle.”

Julie E. Martin is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. She can be reached at 724-543-1303, ext. 1315, or jmartin@tribweb.com.