CLEARFIELD – The second set of charges against a 64-year-old drug suspect, Luther L. Ware Jr. of Bronx, NY, were held for the Court of Common Pleas after a preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge Jerome Nevling on Wednesday at the Clearfield County Jail.
For an October drug bust, Ware is facing charges of conspiracy/manufacture, delivery or possession with intent to manufacture or deliver; manufacture, delivery or possession with intent to manufacture or deliver; criminal use of communication facility; and dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities. Those charges were previously held for court after a preliminary hearing in October.
The drug bust occurred at Ware’s apartment on Turnpike Avenue in Clearfield. Prior to the drug bust, a confidential informant purchased $100 worth of crack cocaine from Ware. When police obtained and executed a search warrant, they seized crack cocaine and heroin from Ware’s apartment.
On March 10, Ware had new drug charges filed against him by the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office. These charges included conspiracy/manufacture, delivery or possession with intent to manufacture or deliver; manufacture, delivery or possession with intent to manufacture or deliver; corrupt organizations; dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities; criminal use of a communication facility; and conspiracy to violate 911b1, 911b2, 911b3.
Deputy Attorney General David C. Gorman, Esq. presented the case on behalf of the commonwealth. Ware was represented by defense attorney Jeffrey Scott DuBois, Esq. of DuBois. Gorman presented testimony from Manuj “Glenn” McCoon, of Bronx, NY, who allegedly heavily distributed crack cocaine for Ware in Clearfield from August of 2013 until his arrest Nov. 14, 2013.
According to McCoon, he was introduced to Ware through a mutual friend in New York. In August of 2013, he was in need of money to support his family and agreed to take charge of Ware’s crack cocaine distribution operation in Clearfield.
McCoon said Ware had relied upon local drug addicts to distribute his crack cocaine for him. However, he said Ware advised him of problems with the amount of drugs and money due to the addicts’ unreliability and use of the crack cocaine.
McCoon said he stayed at hotels and local distributors would call him to advise how much money they had and to order amounts of crack cocaine. Local distributors, he said, would meet him at the hotels to trade money for crack cocaine. McCoon said he never “fronted” crack cocaine and required money from the local distributors first.
According to McCoon, Ware had a drug supplier in New York. He said when Ware brought crack cocaine to Clearfield, it was pre-packaged in half-gram, or $50, bags. McCoon said Ware usually brought in $5,000 to $10,000 worth of crack cocaine at a time depending on sales.
McCoon testified that local distributors were “back and forth, back and forth” from the hotel to get supplies of crack cocaine from him for re-sale in Clearfield. Depending on sales, he said sometimes the local distributors would meet with him five or six times per day; in a “good week,” he noted the “best” local distributor would sell $10,000 to $12,000 worth of crack cocaine.
McCoon said when additional supplies of crack cocaine were needed, he would contact Ware. Ware, he said, would travel from New York to Clearfield to re-supply and would stay a day or two with him before returning to New York. McCoon said he would turn over all of the money he’d collected from the sale of crack cocaine to Ware, who would then pay him for directing the distribution in Clearfield.
At times McCoon said he would return to New York to spend time with his family. Ware, he said, would then stay in Clearfield to direct the distribution of crack cocaine until his return. McCoon said before traveling back, he’d pick up crack cocaine from Ware’s supplier in New York; when asked, McCoon indicated he wasn’t able to identify Ware’s supplier by name.
McCoon said he transported supplies of crack cocaine from New York to Clearfield two or three times under Ware’s direction. He estimated that he transported $5,000 to $7,000 worth in pre-packaged $50 bags each time. McCoon said he used his wife’s vehicle to travel back and forth from New York to Clearfield; he said Ware used his own vehicle.
According to McCoon, he started to feel unsafe in Clearfield and checked into a hotel in DuBois in October/November of 2013. In November of 2013, he was leaving DuBois to go back to his family in New York when he was stopped by the Pennsylvania State Police on Interstate 80 with a supply of crack cocaine in his vehicle that came from Ware.
In closing DuBois questioned the credibility of McCoon. He argued, saying in this case, the sale of crack cocaine was controlled by McCoon in Clearfield. DuBois also pointed out that McCoon testified to transporting amounts of crack cocaine from New York to Clearfield for re-sale.
Gorman countered, arguing Ware had a drug operation in Clearfield and McCoon worked for him. He said McCoon transported drugs from New York to Clearfield under the direction of Ware.
“It made money for him [Ware] and himself [McCoon],” said Gorman. “A larger amount [of crack cocaine] was found after a controlled buy at his [Ware’s] apartment. There’s more than sufficient evidence.”
Nevling said after reviewing the testimony and related reports, he found there was enough evidence to hold all charges against Ware to the Court of Common Pleas. DuBois subsequently asked for Ware’s bail to be lowered, adding he wasn’t a flight risk.
Gorman opposed, saying Ware has a substantial prior record and was looking at a state sentence on his current charges. Nevling agreed with Gorman and denied any modification to Ware’s bail, which was set at $100,000 monetary March 10.
