ERIE — An investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force has resulted in charges against 26 suspects in nine separate but related indictments alleging violations of federal drug and firearms laws, U.S. Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced Thursday.
The indictments accuse a network of overlapping regional drug dealers based in Erie of trafficking multi-kilogram quantities of fentanyl powder and pills, significant amounts of methamphetamine and cocaine. During the lengthy wiretap investigation, several firearms were seized from drug distributors who were either prohibited from possessing firearms or who possessed the firearms to further their drug trafficking activities. Detectives also seized multiple Glock conversion devices, commonly referred to as “Glock switchers,” which are designed to convert a Glock semi-automatic pistol into an automatic machine gun.
The charges, all made public on Wednesday, include:
• an 11-count indictment filed on Sept. 10, charging 14 defendants with obtaining and redistributing fentanyl and methamphetamine in and around Erie County and other areas of the Western District of Pennsylvania;
• a two-count indictment filed on September 10 charging four defendants with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute varying amounts of fentanyl and methamphetamine;
• a one-count indictment filed on September 10, charging two defendants with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a quantity of a mixture and substance containing cocaine, and;
• six additional charges against one defendant for one to three offenses involving drugs, firearms or both. These charges were filed between July 30 and September 10.
“The combination of guns and illegal drugs — like fentanyl and methamphetamine — leads to tragic consequences for communities in the Erie area and throughout our county,” Olshan said. “Today’s charges against 26 defendants reinforce a key message: If you sell deadly drugs in the Western District of Pennsylvania, you can expect a visit from law enforcement. Our office and our law enforcement partners will not sit idly by and allow drug traffickers and those carrying devices that can convert semi-automatic firearms into fully automatic weapons to operate with impunity. Simply put, we are relentless in our determination to keep ordinary citizens safe and secure in their own homes and neighborhoods.”
“The message to those who think they can continue to traffic cartel poison into our communities at will is that the FBI and our partners with the EAGLE Safe Streets Task Force will not stop until we break the cycle of drug violence,” said FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek. “Your operations will be dismantled, your drug-fueled profits will be confiscated, and you will be brought to justice. This is the third major operation in the Erie area in the past three years. The resolve of the FBI and our partners in the fight against drugs on our streets will not waver.”
“Operation Hot Block is the epitome of a collaborative investigation,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge of HSI Philadelphia Sara Bay. “Working hand in hand, HSI and the FBI, along with multiple federal agencies, state, county and city police, all contributed to today’s important enforcement action. Through these combined efforts, a dangerous criminal organization that was involved in violent crimes and supplied deadly drugs like fentanyl to victims in northwestern Pennsylvania was dismantled. The residents of northwestern Pennsylvania are safer because of the efforts of all law enforcement professionals who helped bring this investigation to a successful conclusion.”
“The Erie Police Department is proud to serve on the FBI EAGLE Task Force,” said Daniel Spizarny, Chief of the Erie Police Department. “Working together with other law enforcement agencies in the region, we strive to prevent these deadly drugs from reaching our city. The harm these drugs cause to our community, our friends, our neighbors and our families must be stopped. A safer city for everyone is our goal.”
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Molly Anglin and Paul Sellers are prosecuting these cases on behalf of the government.
This prosecution is part of an investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. The Task Force identifies, disrupts, and dismantles high-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by utilizing a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Erie Resident Agency Erie Area Gang Law Enforcement (EAGLE) Safe Streets Task Force — comprised of investigators from the FBI, United States Customs and Border Protection, Erie Police Department, Pennsylvania State Police, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Millcreek Police Department, Oil City Police Department, Franklin Police Department, and Erie School District Police Department — conducted the investigation that led to the charges, in collaboration with Homeland Security Investigations; the Internal Revenue Service; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Pennsylvania State Police Vice and Drug Law Units; Erie County Detectives; and the Erie County Prosecutor’s Office.
The study was also conducted in partnership with the Northwest Pennsylvania Drug Initiative, which was created after Erie County was designated a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) in 2021. The HIDTA program was created by Congress in 1988 to coordinate and assist federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies in addressing regional drug threats with the goal of reducing drug trafficking and drug production in the United States. The initiative coordinates personnel and resources across multiple agencies.
Olshan stressed that an indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
