Cranberry Township man charged in drug bust
CRANBERRY TWP — A suspected drug trafficker in July was allegedly busted in possession of marijuana, LSD, hallucinogenic mushrooms and cocaine.
The Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General Tuesday arrested and filed charges against Justin M. Evanitsky, 29, of Cranberry Township.
He is one of 75 defendants charged this week after a six-month undercover effort in Beaver County by the Attorney General's Mobile Street Crimes Unit, according to a news release from Attorney General Bruce R. Beemer.
Officers with the attorney general's office obtained a search warrant for Evanitsky's house on Rolling Road after gathering information from various confidential sources that lead them to believe he was a marijuana trafficker, according to the criminal complaint.
At 7:15 a.m. on July 22, the attorney general and township officers searched his house, garage and shed. They allegedly found 27 MDMA pills (the pure form of ecstasy), 16 hits of LSD, hash wax, marijuana, 13 edible marijuana products, bags containing psilocybin (mushrooms), 21 individually packaged amounts of cocaine, two digital scales and numerous prescription pills, including painkillers and anti-anxiety medication.
Evanitsky allegedly admitted to police that all of the illegal drugs belonged to him.
He is charged with nine counts of felony possession of a controlled substance and is scheduled to have a preliminary hearing in district court on Sept. 30.
The undercover efforts were focused on fighting the heroin epidemic by targeting narcotics dealers, said Beaver County District Attorney David J. Lozier in a news release.
The Cranberry police department was one of more than 20 local departments that worked with the district attorney and the crimes unit to investigate trafficking.
“We have a lot of work to do to prosecute these cases, and many leads to follow. This work is not done,” he said in the release.
Individuals who have witnessed a drug deal in their neighborhood or suspect illegal drug activity where they live or work can send an anonymous tip to the Attorney General's office by texting PADRUGS and their information to 847411.
