Man gives up $23K in drug plea
A Zelienople man agreed to forfeit more than $23,000 in cash after pleading guilty Wednesday to drug distribution, following a search of his home that turned up the cash, 12 pounds of marijuana and dozens of heroin stamp bags.
Nicholas W. Decampli, 35, pleaded guilty to felony possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance — marijuana, and misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance — heroin, before Butler County President Judge Thomas Doerr.
The plea agreement calls for a sentence of 7½ to 23 months incarceration in Butler County Prison, followed by probation and fines. He is scheduled for sentencing June 20. He continues to be held on $100,000 bail pending sentencing.
Decampli was charged alongside Domenick W. Decampli, 68, also of Zelienople, with felony possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and criminal use of a communications facility, as well as misdemeanor counts each of possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia and conspiracy counts to each.
A felony possession with intent charge was later dismissed at the magisterial district court level for Domenick Decampli, and he continues to be free on $15,000 unsecured bail pending further court proceedings.
The charges stem from a search warrant executed Nov. 14 at the Decampli home on the 400 block of W. New Castle St., Zelienople, following an ongoing investigation by the state Office of the Attorney General Bureau of Narcotics Investigations, according to court documents.
Police said inside the home they found $22,100 in cash under Nicholas Decampli's bed, $1,536 in cash on a shelf, a glass jar of marijuana next to the money, a notebook with a drug distribution business plan and outstanding debts next to the cash beneath the bed and a shoebox containing about 50 stamp bags of heroin, empty heroin bags and paraphernalia on the bedroom floor, according to a police affidavit.
Five cell phones and about 12 pounds of marijuana were also found in a storage tote and cooler in the garage, the document states.
Police said in Domenick Decampli's bedroom they found eight individually wrapped plastic bags of marijuana and an electronic scale.
As part of the plea agreement, Nicholas Decampli agreed to forfeit all cash and items seized, including the $23,536.
