Pa., local authorities seize $40K in meth from McKeesport home

Authorities seized nine guns and more than $40,000 worth of meth from a McKeesport man’s home, according to Attorney General Josh Shapiro, all of which he says stems from a new partnership between state and local authorities in the Mon Valley.

Franklin Gribschaw, 42, faces multiple charges of drug possession and drug delivery. Authorities said they seized nine illegal firearms, including three shotguns and two AR-style rifles, one of which had an obliterated serial number. In addition to the firearms, police said they found 461 grams of crystal meth worth more than $46,000, 59 grams of crack and 22 bricks of heroin.

“That’s 3,000 doses,” Shapiro said. “Three thousand opportunities to kill a kid in this community.”

Gribschaw is also charged with one count of child endangerment.

“This guy who had crystal meth in his house – who had nine unsecured guns in his house – had a little kid living there,” he said. “A little kid had to live amongst all this. That’s what happening behind some of these doors here in McKeesport, and we are tired of it.”

In an effort to combat the drug trafficking and violence that follows, Shapiro said, his office has launched a regional Bureau of Narcotics Investigations Strategic Response Team, which in this case partnered with McKeesport and Elizabeth Township police and the District Attorney’s Narcotics Enforcement Team.

“Gun and drug trafficking is a dangerous and often violent enterprise,” Shapiro said. “Thanks to our partnership with local law enforcement partners, these unsecured weapons could not be released into neighborhoods and communities to wreak havoc.”

McKeesport Police Chief Adam Alfer said the partnership with the state is a welcome one.

“The last several weeks, I can tell you these men from the (special response team) program and our men and women for the city of McKeesport have worked very hard day in and day out to get the results that we got,” he said. “Our goal here in the city of McKeesport is to make this community a safer place for our residents to live, and that starts with taking down the drug trafficking and the violence.”