Pennsylvania Attorney General Corbett Announces Arrests In Pittsburgh-To-Crawford County Heroin Operation

January 25, 2008 -- HARRISBURG - Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett today announced that agents from the Attorney General's Bureau of Narcotics Investigation have filed criminal charges against six Pittsburgh and Crawford County residents accused of trafficking and distributing heroin in Northwestern PA.

Corbett identified the defendants as Darryll Edward Bishop, 40, 41 Mayflower Ave, Pittsburgh; Tashannia M. Clark, 32, 712 Collins Ave., Pittsburgh; Casey Douglas McClelland, 25, 11304 Hunters Ridge, Meadville; Corey James Blood, 19, 285 S. Second St., Conneaut Lake; Duane Allen Zirkle Jr., 20, 12916 Ryan Road, Conneaut Lake and Jacob Tyler Elliott, 20, 9186 Highway 6, Conneaut Lake.

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Corbett said the arrests are the result of a 14-month long grand jury investigation into heroin trafficking between Pittsburgh and northwestern PA, including the communities of Conneaut Lake, Crawford County, and Edinboro, Erie County.

According to the grand jury, Bishop, also known as "Fish," allegedly served as a Pittsburgh area source for heroin for various Crawford County residents, including McClelland, Blood, Zirkle and Elliott. Clark, also known as "Shannon" allegedly assisted in the operation by transporting Bishop to meeting locations in Pittsburgh or delivering drugs.

Corbett said the grand jury found that the defendants made regular trips to Pittsburgh to obtain drugs, often returning to the Conneaut Lake area with 10-bag "bundles" or 50-bag "brick" quantities of heroin. Upon their return to Crawford County, the defendants allegedly distributed the heroin to other drug users in the area.

Corbett said that over the course of the investigation, agents seized bundle and brick quantities of heroin stamped with street names of Liberty Power, H3, Money Sucker and Kingdom. Agents estimate that the defendants transported and distributed in excess of $300,000 worth of heroin in Crawford and Erie Counties between 2005 and 2007.

Corbett thanked police departments from Conneaut Lake, Cambridge Springs, Cochranton, Edinboro and Meadville for their cooperation and assistance with this ongoing investigation.

The defendants will be prosecuted in Crawford County by Senior Deputy Attorney General Douglas J. Wright from the Attorney General's Drug Strike Force Section.

The following is a list of the defendants and the charges filed against them:

Darryll Edward Bishop, 40, 41 Mayflower Ave, Pittsburgh, is charged with one count of criminal conspiracy, two counts of delivery of heroin and one count of possession of heroin.

Tashannia M. Clark, 32, 712 Collins Ave., Pittsburgh, is charged with one count of criminal conspiracy, two counts of delivery of heroin and one count of possession of heroin.

Casey Douglas McClelland, 25, 11304 Hunters Ridge, Meadville, is charged with one count of delivery of heroin and one count of possession of heroin.

Corey James Blood, 19, 285 S. Second St., Conneaut Lake, is charged with one count of criminal conspiracy, three counts of delivery of heroin and three counts of possession of heroin.

Duane Allen Zirkle Jr, 20, 12916 Ryan Road, Conneaut Lake, is charged with one count of criminal conspiracy, two counts of delivery of heroin and two counts of possession of heroin.

Jacob Tyler Elliott, 20, 9186 Highway 6, Conneaut Lake, is charged with one count of criminal conspiracy, one count of delivery of heroin and one count of possession of heroin.

(A person charged with a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty.)

Source: Pennsylvania Attorney General