A Beaver County man and over a dozen others have been charged with trafficking crack cocaine, cocaine, and fentanyl, Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced on Tuesday.
Korrtezz Martin, 34, and 13 alleged co-conspirators are facing charges in Beaver, Allegheny, and Washington counties between April 2023 and August 2024 for trafficking cocaine and pressed fentanyl pills. On Tuesday, ten of the fourteen people were arrested.
Martin, who was arrested on Tuesday, is accused of illegal firearm possession, criminal conspiracy, dealing in the proceeds of unlawful activity, corrupt organizations, possession with intent to distribute, and criminal use of a communication service. His bail is set at $500,000.
According to the attorney general’s office, the investigative grand jury determined that Martin led a drug trafficking network that used a network of runners. Throughout the inquiry, officials established that Martin and his associates were high-level sellers in the area.
“Our Bureau of Narcotics Investigation worked diligently to identify the leader of this criminal enterprise and his conspirators, which resulted in charges that put a stop to this network of fentanyl dealers,” Sunday said. “Drug traffickers push poisons into our communities without a care for the lives put at risk. My office will continue to vigorously prosecute traffickers who value dollars over human lives.”
The Beaver County Drug Task Force, Beaver County District Attorney’s Office, Pennsylvania State Police, and the Drug Enforcement Administration’s High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program all assisted with the arrests on Tuesday.
The attorney general’s office issued charges against the additional accused:
- Edward Reynolds, 33, Dion Eberhardt, 35, Mara Hieber, 29, Michael Motton, 34, Daphne Scott, 51, Victoria Jones, 31, Chelsea Durr, 33, Breanna Lewandowski, 21, Tyler McQuaid, 36, Jack Balser, 31 and Katrina Balser, 35: Possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute and deliver, criminal conspiracy of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute and deliver, criminal use of a communication facility, corrupt organizations and dealing in the proceeds of unlawful activity. Following their arrests, bail was set at $500,000 for Scott, $250,000 for Motton, $150,000 for McQuaid, $125,000 for Jack Balser, $100,000 for Katrina Balser, and $50,000 for Jones and Durr.
- Timothy Namath, 40: Possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, criminal conspiracy of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, criminal use of a communication facility, corrupt organizations, dealing in the proceeds of unlawful activity, disorderly conduct and criminal mischief.
- Courtney Goode, 30: Corrupt organizations and dealing in the proceeds of unlawful activity. Goode is being held on $100,000 bail.
Kara Cotter, Senior Deputy Attorney General from the Drug Strike Force Section, is prosecuting the case.
The attorney general’s office noted that all suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty and that criminal charges and any discussion of them are merely allegations.
