Attorney General Michelle Henry has announced that the 51st Statewide Investigating Grand Jury recommended charges against 13 individuals in connection with a drug and gun trafficking ring based in Erie and Crawford counties. The arrest operation commenced last week, with the alleged ringleader, 25-year-old Quran Lindsey-Cooley, being taken into custody on numerous charges including corrupt organizations, felony drugs and firearms offenses, among others.
Investigators claim that Lindsey-Cooley and Daymeon Duck, 26, orchestrated the trafficking operation. They allegedly used associates to sell fentanyl/heroin and methamphetamine while supplying them with firearms. The Office of Attorney General’s Bureau of Narcotics Investigations tracked Lindsey-Cooley, Duck, and their associates since initiating Grand Jury proceedings in 2022 which recently resulted in a presentment.
“This network of defendants was committed to pushing poisons into numerous communities in the northwest corner of the Commonwealth, and they possessed firearms to protect their profitable operation,” said Attorney General Henry. She praised the agents involved in tracking down this ring and thanked the grand jurors for their time and attention which she believes has made many neighborhoods safer as a result.
The individuals charged and arrested recently include Lindsey-Cooley (bail set at $250,000); Duck (posted $75,000 bail); Tyreem Craig (bail set at $250,000); Tiffany Fletcher (bail set at $50,000); Steven Mills (bail set at $50,000); Kaelesha Johnson (released on unsecured bail); Penny Cattledge (released on $100,000 unsecured bail); Jody Joint (awaiting arraignment); and Antonio Jefferson (released on $50,000 unsecured bail). Four other charged individuals - Brant Rittenhouse, Kevin Carter, Edwin Peelman, and Dustin Sudul - are not currently in custody.
During multiple search warrant operations, agents seized quantities of methamphetamine, fentanyl, pills containing fentanyl, seven firearms, and cash proceeds from trafficking. Assisting law enforcement agencies included the City of Erie Bureau of Police, City of Meadville Police, City of St. Marys Police, Elk County District Attorney’s Detective Bureau, Edinboro Borough Police, Emporium Borough Police, Erie County District Attorney’s Detective Bureau, Girard Borough Police, Lake City Borough of Police, Lawrence County District Attorney’s Detectives, New Castle Police, and the Millcreek Township Police.
The defendants will be prosecuted by the Office of Attorney General’s Drug Strike Force Section. All charges are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.