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Police arrest 2 in Sheldon Park drug raid
Synthetic marijuana found
New Kensington police raided the Hill Top Mart at 1700 Seventh St. on Friday and found synthetic marijuana there, they say.
Police had the store's business permit revoked and ordered a Monroeville man, who runs the store, to close it pending the outcome of an investigation.
Acting on complaints from residents, police say they were able to buy some of the synthetic marijuana at the store. Police seized cash, the illegal drugs and paraphernalia during the raid, they said.
Charges against the store owner are pending.
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By Chuck Biedka
Published: Friday, January 18, 2013, 11:48 a.m.
Updated: Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Police found 600 individual doses of heroin, $1,782 in cash and a semi-automatic pistol during a raid of a Sheldon Park apartment in Harrison on Friday morning, they said.
Tanika Woody, 35, who was renting the apartment at 371 Park St., and Dray Blackman, 35, of 415 North Ave., Pittsburgh, were arrested by Harrison and Tarentum police working under the auspices of the state Attorney General's Bureau of Narcotics Investigation.
Harrison police Chief Mike Klein described Blackman as a mid-level heroin dealer who would sell only 50 heroin bags — known as a brick — at a time.
Klein said heroin is routinely sold at between $10 and $15 per dose in most of the Valley, so the street sales value of the heroin is between $6,000 and $9,000.
Police were checking on Friday to determine who owned the 9 mm pistol that Blackman had placed into a slit in the mattress where he was sleeping.
“He is a convicted felon who is not allowed to possess a gun,” Klein said.
The heroin was inside a closet less than three feet from the bed.
“The handgun was in a place where it was quickly accessible,” Klein said.
Police said Blackman had $2 in his wallet and $1,700 in a pants pocket.
Woody, according to police, had marijuana in her pocket and $80 in one of her shoes.Woody is charged with possession with intent to sell heroin, possession of marijuana and conspiracy.
An affidavit said she sold a brick of heroin to undercover police on Wednesday.
Blackman is charged with possession with intent to sell, possession and having the pistol and two loaded clips even though he is a convicted felon and banned from having firearms.
District Judge Carolyn Bengel arraigned Woody and ordered her held in the Allegheny County Jail in lieu of $100,000 combined bond pending a preliminary hearing on Tuesday. Blackman was sent to the same jail in lieu of $50,000 bond pending a preliminary hearing.
Chuck Biedka is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 724-226-4711 or cbiedka@tribweb.com.
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