Two Monessen men allegedly received 15 pounds of marijuana through the mail.
Jonathan Marc Kravets, 19, of Schoonmaker Avenue, and Luke Austin Doptis, 20, of Nash Avenue were arrested Thursday.
State police said they were serving a warrant at 4:27 p.m. at Kravets' residence when they saw the suspects carrying boxes toward Doptis' vehicle, which was parked at the rear of the house.
Police said the warrant grew from an investigation in which United States Postal Service inspectors recently intercepted two suspicious packages addressed to Kravets' residence.
Postal inspector Bruce Hammerle confirmed the investigation led to the arrests.
“The majority of drug-related packages we investigate come from out of state,” Hammerle said. “We want to get the word out that just because marijuana is legal in some states, it is still a controlled substance in Pennsylvania.”
In an affidavit of probable cause, state Trooper Edward Walker of the Bureau of Criminal Investigation said the packages contained “approximately 15 pounds of marijuana.”
Walker said that inside the residence, officers found additional marijuana and pipes commonly used to smoke marijuana.
According to the federal Drug Enforcement Agency, one pound of marijuana equals about $1,000 in street value, but that figure can vary based on geography, supply and demand, and drug quality.
After being arrested, Kravets and Doptis each provided a statement detailing involvement with the marijuana, according to the affidavit.
The men were arraigned in Westmoreland County Night Court by Hempfield-based Magisterial District Judge Mark Mansour on possession with intent to manufacture or deliver a controlled substance, conspiracy, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Each was freed on $25,000 unsecured bond. Each faces a preliminary hearing Dec. 4 in Monessen before Magisterial District Judge Joseph Dalfonso.
