Wiretap leads to seizure of gun, cocaine, cash in Wilkinsburg
A wiretap investigation by the state attorney general’s office led authorities to seize a gun, drugs and $116,000 and charge two Allegheny County men with dealing cocaine.
Keith Quarles, 59, of Swissvale and Sharron Fields, 49, of Penn Hills were arrested Wednesday, the attorney general’s office announced Friday.
Affidavits in the case to support the arrests described Fields as the main supplier and Quarles as a main distributors in a cocaine ring.
Agents with the attorney
general’s office started monitoring Quarles’ cell phone on Oct. 26 and launched their wiretap of Fields’ phone Nov 1.
On Nov. 2, they intercepted a conversation between Quarles and Fields about a meeting to renew their cocaine supply, an affidavit said. Authorities put them under surveillance and said they went into a home in the 9900 block of Frankstown Road in Penn Hills.
Agents believed Fields gave Quarles crack cocaine, according to the affidavit.
On Wednesday, the two men talked about a rendezvous in the 600 block of North Avenue in Wilkinsburg for a “cocaine transaction,” the affidavit said.
Police said they saw Fields take something from his groin area and hand it to Quarles.
Quarles drove off and was pulled over. Police said they found three $50 crack rocks in his hat. Then they pulled over Fields. They found 2 ounces of crack cocaine and about $20,000, an affidavit said.
Later that day, law enforcement executed a search warrant in the 200 block of Stotler Road, where Fields sublets a room, and found a kilogram of cocaine packaged for sale, $96,000, money counters, electronic scales, drug paraphernalia and a stolen handgun, the affidavit said.
Agents also executed search warrants in the 9900 block of Frankstown Road in Penn Hills and the 600 block of North Avenue in Wilkinsburg.
Fields and Quarles both are charged with corrupt organization, possession, and possession with intent to deliver. Fields is charged additionally with receiving stolen property.
Bail was set at $50,000 for Fields and $5,000 for Quarles. Neither is in jail.
Agents from the attorney general’s office were joined in the investigation by Pennsylvania State Police and officers from Monroeville, Penn Hills, Swissvale and Wilkinsburg. Penn Hills police filed the charges.