FBI: 31 indicted in 'major' Johnstown-area drug ring
Aug. 12—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — A drug ring accused of funneling fentanyl, meth and other drugs into Johnstown from both coasts has been dismantled, resulting in charges against 31 people, law enforcement officials said.
A federal indictment unsealed Thursday included counts against 22 Johnstown residents, one from Indiana County and seven from "supply" hubs in the Philadelphia area and Long Beach, California.
That list includes Mikal Davis, 44, of Philadelphia, who was already charged in federal court as a distributor and kingpin within the organized drug trafficking operation last month.
"Drugs ruin families, communities and lives," said David Abbott, the assistant special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations' Pittsburgh office. "These defendants preyed on drug addicts in Pennsylvania for their own greed without any remorse for the lives they destroyed."
Abbotts' office worked alongside the FBI, the Office of the Attorney General and Johnstown Police Department, as well as state police, the Cambria County District Attorney's Office and local police departments throughout the Greater Johnstown suburbs and Indiana Borough to bring the case — dubbed "Operation: Endgame" — to court.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the IRS and Indiana County District Attorney's Office also partnered in the investigation, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman, whose office will prosecute the case in federal court.
He said investigators first became aware of the drug ring through "multiple sources of information" in April 2019.
Court documents show investigators relied on confidential informants — sometimes known drug users — and court-approved wire taps to record phone calls to get information on the organization and coordinate buys.
Court also records show many of the alleged distributors arrested are middle-aged — men and women in their 40s and 50s.
Davis is alleged to have several addresses, including in Philadelphia, while James Dotson is a Johnstown resident alleged to have overseen operations locally, including at least 14 drug deals to informants, police wrote.
Over two years, more than 11 pounds of crack cocaine, 400 grams of fentanyl and more than 500 grams of a mixture of drugs containing methamphetamine were sold, investigators said.
That included 150,000 doses of fentanyl, heroin and other drugs, Attorney General Josh Shapiro said.
Those quantities led to higher charges against the ring. For any individuals who are convicted, the narcotics law violations carry a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison.
Local law enforcement officials said those drugs didn't just find their way into the city, but also just about every community surrounding Johnstown.
Police from Johnstown, Richland, Upper Yoder and Indiana also joined state and federal investigators for a press conference announcing the bust at the FBI's Richland Township field office Thursday.
Cambria County District Attorney Greg Neugebauer said an "unbelievable amount of time, energy and resources" were spent to dismantle the operation.
"Days like this are the result of resources that are shared among entities that, frankly, we don't have on a local level," Neugebauer said. "Without the help of the FBI, state police, AG's office and the local departments coming together, today would not have been possible."
And the bust likely wouldn't have happened without people in the community showing the courage to step up, he said.
"If you see something, say something," he said. "With the community's help ... we can continue to make strides and make our community safe."
