$7.8 million ‘Dragon’ heroin drug ring busted in central Pennsylvania

Sixteen people have been charged in connection with a drug-trafficking ring state Attorney General Josh Shapiro said was responsible for distributing and selling $7.8 million worth of heroin that came from Philadelphia to the Altoona and Johnstown communities.

Shapiro announced the charges Monday afternoon during a press conference at the Blair County Courthouse, saying the suspects’ operation sold 780,000 bags of heroin, along with $1.9 million worth of cocaine, from January 2016 to February 2017.

Along with Shapiro’s office, the shutdown was the result of an investigation that involved the offices of Blair County District Attorney Rich Consiglio, Cambria County District Attorney Kelly Callihan, Pennsylvania State Police, Altoona and Johnstown police and other local law enforcement agencies.

Shapiro said a statewide investigating grand jury identified Damon “Fat Cat” Devine, 40, of Philadelphia, as the main target of the investigation.

The probe later revealed that Devine’s ring sold potent heroin labeled “Dragon” in Altoona and Johnstown.

Last August, Devine was a passenger of a vehicle involved in a police chase in Philadelphia, when state police located 3,750 bags of heroin with the Dragon label, along with 127 grams of cocaine.

Nine days after his arrest, Shapiro said Devine posted bail and continued running the drug operation.

“Law enforcement did not give up,” he said. “We continued our investigation.”

After police made a series of controlled buys from Devine’s associates, one agreed to cooperate with investigators and buy heroin from Devine at an Altoona hotel in February.

Evidence and testimony from Devine’s co-conspirators also went before the grand jury, which recommended the charges several weeks ago, Shapiro said.

At the time of his second arrest, in February, Devine possessed 651 bags of heroin.

In total, investigators seized 14,890 bags of heroin with an estimated street value of $150,000 and nearly half a pound of cocaine worth about $21,000 during the operation, Shapiro said.

“These seizures are just a small part of the huge volume of heroin and cocaine that moved through the Dragon pipeline from Philadelphia to be sold on the streets here in Altoona and Johnstown,” the AG said.

“Devine would hire people to transport his poison — his heroin and cocaine — from Philadelphia to Johnstown and Altoona, then he hired other individuals to sell it,” Shapiro said.

A home in Johnstown’s West End was searched as part of the investigation, according to Cambria County Assistant District Attorney Arnold Bernard.

Investigators eventually found enough heroin to fill 1,000 bags, 87 grams of cocaine and $12,000 in cash at the 179 Strayer St. residence where Bernard said Devine lived with his mother and girlfriend.

Bernard said Devine would drive to Philadelphia for the heroin and bring it back to Johnstown for distribution.

Whether drugs are sold by top-tier or low-level dealers, Bernard said, the message of Monday’s announcement should be the same: “We’ll find you, we’ll arrest you, and we’ll prosecute you.”

The community plays an important role in such efforts through providing anonymous tips to the Push Out the Pusher hotline — 1-800-548-7500 — Bernard said.

“Those don’t go unanswered,” he said.

Shapiro said he’s committed to continued work with law enforcement to address the ongoing drug problem in both Blair and Cambria counties, which he said “are being hit particularly hard.”

Shapiro noted that Blair County’s fatal overdose numbers nearly doubled from 22 in 2015 to 43 in 2016, while “Cambria County has been hit even harder” — ranking second in the state in overdose deaths per capita. Cambria had more than 100 fatal overdoses in 2016.

“We’re not deterred by these statistics,” he said. “This is the biggest bust in this community for quite some time. We’re not leaving — we still have work to do.”

In addition to Devine, the following were charged with possession with intent to distribute narcotics, conspiracy and other related charges:

▪  Aaron Beard, 50, of 19th Street, Altoona

▪  Melissa Coleman, 43, of Steakhouse Street, Johnstown

▪  James Everett-Bey, 40, of Hunter Street, Philadelphia

▪  Richard Govier, 39, of West Main Street, Stoystown

▪  Kristy Hicks, 38, of 29th Street, Altoona

▪  Kara Kirby-Horner, 35, of Campbell Avenue, Johnstown

▪  Blaine Jackson, 40, of Chandler Avenue, Johnstown

▪  Jaime Madden, 52, of Franklin Street, Johnstown

▪  Jasmine McGowan, 27, of Cypress Avenue, Johnstown

▪  James Miller, 28, of Ihmsen Avenue, Johnstown

▪  Jabu Robinson, 37, of West Wyneva Street, Philadelphia

▪  Phillip Stevens, 30, of Cherry Avenue, Altoona

▪  Travis Taylor, 39, of 1st Avenue, Altoona

▪  Brieon Thurston, 35, of Lenhart Street, Johnstown

▪  Barbara Tyler, 58, of Greenwood Avenue, Trenton, New Jersey

This story was originally published July 31, 2017 at 5:48 PM with the headline "$7.8 million ‘Dragon’ heroin drug ring busted in central Pennsylvania."