A federal drug investigation has led to charges for four men who police said were in possession of 116 kilograms of cocaine.
That amount is equivalent to more than 250 pounds.
Federal officials investigating drug activity in Western Pennsylvania executed sealed search warrants for homes and vehicles in McKeesport, Monroeville, Murrysville and Penn Hills on June 27.
At a Jefferson Street property in McKeesport, they found Derrick Lyman, 58, of McKeesport, along with nearly 70 kilograms of cocaine between searches of the house, a truck, a garage and a van, according to a criminal complaint.
Federal officials said a Stonecliffe Drive home in Monroeville was being used by Kenneth Hamlin Jr., 59, of Monroeville as a drug stash house. There, they found about 13 kilos of cocaine along with an AR-style rifle and a pistol. Hamlin currently is on supervised federal release stemming from a 1999 conviction.
Hamlin was found at a Marquis Place apartment in Murrysville, where he was taken into custody.
Four kilos of cocaine was found at a Coventry Court home in Monroeville, where police arrested Devlin Clifford, 46, of Monroeville, according to court documents.
Finally, Daniel Jackson, 47, of Penn Hills was arrested after fleeing from an Edinburg Drive home in Penn Hills, where police turned up 23 kilos of cocaine.
An eight-count indictment charges all four men with drug possession with intent to deliver, as well as possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Patrick Varine is a TribLive reporter covering Delmont, Export and Murrysville. He is a Western Pennsylvania native and joined the Trib in 2010 after working as a reporter and editor with the former Dover Post Co. in Delaware. He can be reached at pvarine@triblive.com.