12 in Western Pa. charged in coke-trafficking ring

FARRELL, Pa.

Twelve people, most from Mercer and Lawrence counties, are charged with participation in a cocaine-trafficking ring.

The Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Narcotics Investigation, the Pennsylvania State Police and local police are in the process of arresting them, the attorney general’s office said Thursday.

The attorney general’s office said the central figure in the drug sales operation is Jason Pinkins, 36, of Hamilton Avenue in Farrell.

Pinkins is charged with two counts of participating in a corrupt organization, 13 counts of possession, 13 counts of possession with intent to deliver, and one count each of criminal conspiracy, criminal use of a communications facility and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Family members and other close associates helped Pinkins in an operation believed to be responsible for the distribution and sale of about 100 kilos of suspected cocaine in Mercer, Lawrence and Beaver counties since 2010, the attorney general’s office said.

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