Four men face drug charges

MERCER, Pa. -- Four Johnstown men are in Mercer County Jail after being arrested on Interstate 80 on drug possession charges.
Pennsylvania State Police said a trooper stopped the suspects' westbound rental car in Findley Township around 10 a.m. Tuesday after noticing it had an expired registration sticker.
The trooper said that after he spoke with the driver, Mashhour E. Howling, 21, and passengers, he suspected they might be trafficking in drugs and asked to search the vehicle. Howling gave his consent, and police said they found a small amount of suspected marijuana in the passenger compartment.
That led to a further search in which police said they found $20,550 in a shoe box in the trunk of the car. Police believe the money is drug-trafficking proceeds.
They seized the money and charged Howling and his three passengers -- Lawrence R. Westbrook, 21, Andrew Anderson, 26, and Gerald Veney, 21 -- with possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
All four were arraigned before District Justice Ruth French, who ordered them held in jail in lieu of bond.