Law enforcement honored during annual LEAD awards ceremony
In terms of sheer volume, the Jamal Stoner cocaine ring ranks among the region’s largest narcotics distribution networks.
Agents said Stoner, who is under indictment in U.S. District Court, shipped 20 kilos of coke a month from Atlanta to the City Vista apartments in Green Tree for distribution across the region.
Prosecutors say members of the gang flew to Atlanta to pick up cocaine and brought it back on Greyhound buses, then took it to their stash house inside Apartment 2002 in the City Vista complex.
Last week, the team of agents and police who dismantled the operation won honors for their efforts, dubbed “Operation Iceburgh,” at the annual Law Enforcement Agency Directors awards ceremony.
The awards, held Wednesday at Schenley Park, recognize top performance by federal, state and local law enforcement in the past year. U.S. Attorney Cindy Chung presided.
Operation Iceburgh, spearheaded by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the state attorney general’s office, nailed Stoner, 33, of Beltzhoover, along with 15 others. The case is pending, but prosecutors said the investigation revealed that Stoner was the key Pittsburgh supplier while Gordon Johnson, 36, of Atlanta, was the Georgia connection along with Jesus Cuevas, 41, of Detroit.
The team raided the City Vista apartment Sept. 27, 2021, and recovered 21 kilos of coke. Another 10 kilos had been seized at other locations. Agents said the ring conspired from at least September 2020 to bring drugs to Pittsburgh, with Johnson traveling here at least 13 times to make deliveries.
In court testimony, agents said the network was effective because Greyhound security is lax and no one checks anyone getting onboard.
Agents said the ring also used couriers to drive 50 kilos at a time from Los Angeles to Atlanta, Detroit and other cities, where it was split up and delivered to destination cities, including Pittsburgh.
“Due to the tireless efforts of investigators assigned to the team and their personal involvement in nearly every aspect of this investigation, the team successfully obtained a federal grand jury indictment of 16 high-ranking members of the Stoner DTO in December 2021,” award presenters said.
To date, agents and police have arrested 18 people, seized 31 kilos of coke, eight guns and more than $7 million in assets, including cash, eight vehicles, jewelry
and financial accounts containing crypto currency.
The Iceburgh team consisted of DEA agents Dan Hoormann, Karl Ash, Francesco Vezio and their supervisor, Alton Alston; task force officers Anthony Lagnese, of the New Castle police; David Lincoln and Santino Mammarelli, of the Pittsburgh police; Charles Hurst, of the AG’s office; Richard Kadlecik of the Robinson police; Steve Dawkin, of the Allegheny County police; David Williams, of the state police; agents Matt Truesdell and Aaron Vitale, of the AG’s office; Agent Matt Davey and analyst Heidi Prengaman, of IRS-Criminal Investigation; and Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Jordan. Other award winners:
• Operation Candy Shop team, an FBI-led group credited with taking down the Hazelwood Mob drug ring. The investigation led to the indictment of ringleader Joshua Yarbough, who according to authorities shot someone over a drug debt while the case was going on. The investigation led to the execution of 12 search warrants in September 2021 and the arrests of 25 people on drug and gun charges.
The team included Agents Kevin Pacini, Aaron Francis and Bryan Distelrath, FBI; officers Jerry Kabala, Justin Simoni, Michael Lafferty, Jed Pollock, Robert Berberich, Quoc Vo and Steven McGouldrick, Pittsburgh police; Zach Vozza and Lindsey Perry, Allegheny County sheriff’s office; Doug Loadman, AG’s office; Michael Maroni, Allegheny County Probation and Parole; Assistant Chief Jamie Caterino, Munhall police; Officer Scott Brown, Whitehall police; Trooper Dan Beatty, state police; U.S. Postal Inspector Lindsay Weckerly; Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Vasquez Schmitt; and U.S. attorney legal assistant Cristin Kelly.
• A group of police and postal inspectors for their response to the baseball bat attack on a mailman in Mt. Lebanon in May. Matthew
Harrison, of Brookline, is under indictment. The team won for “exemplary professionalism and lifesaving skills” in saving the carrier’s life and arresting the suspect. The award went to Mt. Lebanon Lt. Pat O’Brien and Officers Steve Shipe, Robert Culp, Bryan Crabb, Jacob Elk, Detective Cpl. Sam Smolarek and Detective Lt. Dan Hyslop, along with U.S. postal inspectors Joe Bell, Justin Checchio and Martin Blow.
• Operation Return to Sender, a DEA-led group that targeted a 47-member drug ring that prosecutors say was led by Derek Hillebrand and dealt methamphetamine shipped from California into rural towns in Jefferson, Clearfield and Allegheny counties. The case against Hillebrand is pending. The team members were DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Paris Pratt, Group Supervisor Christopher Swartz and Agents Keith Stamper, Andrew Ellenberger and Todd Schuller, Intelligence Research Specialist David Bender and Investigative Assistant Virginia Brown; Pittsburgh police Officers Eric Harpster and Dominic Falascino; Kolin Price, Munhall police; Thomas Costa and Jeffrey Morell, Lawrence County district attorney’s office; Randy Grossman, Allegheny County sheriff’s office; Assistant Special Agent in Charge James Long and Adam Gaab of the U.S. Postal Service office of inspector general; Team Leader Cathy Wolf and Inspector Lindsay Weckerly, U.S. postal inspection; Agent Brianna Coleman, Homeland Security Investigations; Analyst Heidi Prengaman, IRS-CI; state police Capt. Christopher Neal, Lt. Thomas Hertlein, Sgt. Mary Gausman, Cpl. Bryan Ripple and Troopers James Price, Lance Howell, Seth Rupp, Julie Clark, Zac Moran; and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Lusty.
• Benjamain Gery, Pittsburgh police, won the courage under fire award for an incident June 25 in which he was shot during a foot chase in Mount Oliver. Officer Gery helped other officers arrest the suspect despite his wound and later returned to full duty.
• Nicole Kolesar, Clarence Ford, Christopher Mosesso and Nathan Dettling, Pittsburgh police officers who won for their response to a domestic violence call June 3 in Friendship that yielded the seizure of eight stolen guns and a trove of drugs. Detective Dettling later chased down the suspect on foot and arrested him.
• John Godlewski, John Adams and Eric Crawford, Pittsburgh police detectives and fingerprint experts who oversaw a new Automated Fingerprint Identification System in 2022.
• Clearfield Borough Sgt. Daniel Podliski, HSI Agent Jason Adams and Analyst Kelly Havrilla and Maureen Sheehan-Balchon, assistant U.S. attorney. They investigated Jackson Martin and Amanda Downs, leading to their arrest on multiple counts of child rape and child porn possession. Both were indicted in federal court. Martin was sentenced in June to 35 years in prison. Downs will be sentenced next month.
• Agent Matt Regent in, Burea of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, who investigated a 1995 arson that killed three Pittsburgh firefighters. Gregory Brown, who spent 20 years in state prison for the crime before being released, entered a special plea in June to resolve federal charges that ended thecase with his freedom.
• Agent Chris Burke, IRSCI, who won for investigating Dean Britton, an Edgeworth businessman who worked in New York City real estate and evaded taxes for multiple years. He was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison.
• Trooper Max DeLuca, state police, Troop D Butler, a criminal intelligence officer who helped the troop clear 12 of 13 murders investigated in 2021. He also interviewed serial killer Edward Surratt, developed a rapport with him and helped secure confessions to nine unsolved murders dating to the 1970s.
• Sgt. Eli Peyronel, Allegheny County sheriff’s office. Mr. Peyronel has since left the office but won for his efforts in arresting numerous fugitives and the seizures of guns and drugs across the region.
• Coleman McDonough, former superintendent of Allegheny County police, and Bill Mullen, former Allegheny County sheriff, won lifetime service awards.
• Scott Schubert, former Pittsburgh police chief, and Eric Holmes, a Pittsburgh police commander, also won recognition awards for their years of service.