CLEARFIELD – A former New York man pleaded guilty Tuesday for his involvement in a local cocaine distribution business.
Manuj Glen McCoon, 45, pleaded guilty to corrupt organizations and was sentenced by President Judge Fredric J. Ammerman to six months less one day to one year less one day in jail and one year probation. He was fined $200 plus costs.
According to testimony before a grand jury, McCoon was selling cocaine in Clearfield for approximately four months until he was arrested after a traffic stop in Union County in November of 2013. The vehicle contained 81 small bags of cocaine, three cell phones and approximately $2,000. McCoon was working with Luther L. Ware Jr., who had recruited him to travel to Clearfield to deliver and sell cocaine.
Prior to sentencing, it was noted by Senior Deputy Attorney General David Gorman that McCoon had cooperated with the investigation and testified both before a Grand Jury and at Ware’s trial. He has already served almost two years in jail beginning with his original arrest in 2013. His credit toward his sentence will begin July 21.
McCoon’s attorney, Ronald Collins explained the unique structure of the plea was due to McCoon’s issues with immigration.
McCoon testified during Ware’s trial that he met Ware through a mutual friend in the Bronx in April of 2013. Ware offered him a job selling drugs for him in Clearfield.
“I needed the money,” McCoon said because he was out of work. At first he turned the offer down but in August of 2013 he agreed to work with Ware.
He explained Ware needed someone to oversee his drug business in Clearfield because he was constantly losing money due to people either stealing the money or drugs. On that trip, he said they had about $5,000 in crack cocaine packaged in half gram bags. Ware told him he had been doing this for two or three years.
McCoon said at first he stayed with people in the area. Other times he stayed at various hotels with the bill being paid by Ware. When he ran out of drugs, he would call Ware and he would bring more.
The longest McCoon said he stayed in Clearfield was three or four weeks in September/October of 2013. In November he stayed at a hotel in DuBois because he was afraid he was going to be arrested.
It was during one of his trips back to New York in November of 2013 that McCoon’s vehicle was spotted by Pennsylvania State Troopers who were alerted he was wanted for questioning in a separate case. He was taken into custody. Because the offense was alleged to have happened in his van, it was searched after a warrant was obtained. Police found 11.47 grams of crack cocaine packaged in little bags inside a sock in a duffle bag in the van.
After a trial in June, Ware was found guilty of two counts of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, criminal use of communication facility, dealing in proceeds of unlawful activity, criminal conspiracy and delivery of a controlled substance in one case and possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, criminal conspiracy/delivery of a controlled substance, corrupt organizations, criminal conspiracy/corrupt organizations, dealing in proceeds of unlawful activity, and criminal use of communication facility in a second case. In August, Ammerman sentenced Ware to a total of 11 to 25 years in state prison.
Several other local people involved in his drug distribution network were among those arrested in the recent “Operation Leaf Rake” drug bust.
Also involved in this cocaine trafficking ring was Shaking Devine Saunders, 37, 8418 Rockaway Beach Blvd., Far Rockaway, NY, Edward Allen, 39, 431 Beach St., Far Rockaway, NY, David Batista, 31, 2288 Mott Ave., Queens, NY, and Lashanda Lashell Mount, 29, 25 Pyramid Pines, Saratoga Springs, NY. They were found to be in possession of 38.62 grams of crack cocaine after a traffic stop in February of 2014.
In November of 2014, both Saunders and Allen pleaded guilty to drug charges and were each sentenced to serve 27 months to seven years in state prison. In April Mount pleaded guilty to criminal conspiracy/possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance. She was sentenced to nine months to 16 months in jail. In July Batista pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 27 months to seven years in state prison.