CLEARFIELD – Two New York men charged with bringing drugs into the area were sentenced to state prison during plea and sentencing court in Clearfield County.
Shaking Devine Saunders, 37, 8418 Rockaway Beach Blvd., Far Rockaway, NY, and Edward Allen, 39, 431 Beach St., Far Rockaway, NY, were charged with various drug offenses after they were found to be in possession of drugs in February in Lawrence Township.
Saunders pleaded guilty to possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance-cocaine. Allen pleaded guilty to criminal conspiracy/possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance-cocaine.
They both received sentences of 27 months to seven years in state prison from President Judge Fredric J. Ammerman. They must complete drug and alcohol counseling and submit to DNA testing at a cost of $250. They were fined $1 plus costs.
According to a grand jury, police received a report about drug activity at the Travel Lodge Inn on the Clearfield-Shawville Highway. They pulled over a vehicle they suspected contained drugs on state Route 879 and took Saunders, Allen, Lashanda Mount and two others into custody.
Permission was given to search the vehicle from the owner. The bags in the vehicle were also searched after receiving consent from the owners or through a search warrant.
One of the duffel bags contained $7,150 in assorted bills and 38.62 grams of crack cocaine. A computer bag contained a digital scale and money receipts from transfers through Western Union that totaled $4,236.
A confidential informant told officers that the group had been in Clearfield for at least a week where they were selling drugs, primarily crack cocaine and cocaine. They moved from hotel to hotel in the area.
During this time, Mount was bagging the cocaine into smaller bags. She told an informant that she was waiting for two ounces of soft cocaine to be delivered so she could start her own drug business. Allen had three or four cell phones for customers to contact him to purchase drugs.
Mount, 28, 25 Pyramid Pines, Saratoga Springs, NY, is charged with intentional possession of a controlled substance by person not registered, conspiracy, manufacture/delivery/possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. Her case is still pending.