Seven charged in regional drug trafficking
HARRISBURG — Attorney General Dave Sunday announced charges against seven people who were arrested in recent days for their roles in distributing methamphetamine and fentanyl in and around Cameron, Elk, McKean, Potter and Warren counties.
Investigators said 31-year-old Benjamin Simms, of Coudersport, is a mid-level dealer who trafficked pounds of methamphetamine from New York.
Six others — five men and a woman — are street-level dealers. They are: Kyle P. Brown, 39, of Emporium; Marry Ann Stolburg, 61, of Ridgway; Justin Meyer, 38, of St. Marys; Beau Azzato, 20, of St. Marys; Richard Bauer, 64, of Johnsonburg; and Josh Dalton, 35, of Ridgway.
Investigators said Simms and Brown worked together, but the others operated independently.
Each is charged with felony possession with intent to deliver, conspiracy, and related offenses.
“These traffickers pushed poisons into rural Pennsylvania communities,” Sunday said. “My mission to target drug traffickers spans the entire Commonwealth, and I commend our partners for collaboration that will have real impact in this region.”
Investigators said Simms trafficked between 30 and 40 pounds of methamphetamine during a one-year span. He is currently incarcerated at SCI-Forest.
Brown is at McKean County Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail.
The Office of Attorney General will prosecute Simms and Brown. The Elk County District Attorney’s Office will prosecute the remaining defendants.
Agents from the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General’s North Central Drug Task Force led the investigations, with assistance from Borough of Emporium Police Department, Cameron County District Attorney’s Office Detective Bureau, City of Bradford Police Department, City of St. Marys Police Department, Ridgway Police Department, Johnsonburg Police Department and McKean County District Attorney’s Office Drug Task Force.
Criminal charges, and any discussion thereof, are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
