Feds tie spike in Western Pennsylvania bank robberies to opioid epidemic

Federal investigators believe a spike in bank robberies over the past several months can be tied to the opioid epidemic, agents said Thursday.

There have been 28 bank robberies in Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia since Oct. 1, a rate of about seven a month, according to Glen Galeone, a special agent in the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office.

There were 39 in all of the previous fiscal year from Oct. 1, 2017, to Sept. 30, or about 3 to 4 each month, Galeone said.

A large majority of the robberies happened in Allegheny County and the counties immediately surrounding it, according to Galeone.

Galeone attributed part of the uptick to suspects robbing multiple banks.

“It’s to the point where they continue to rob banks until we stop them,” he said.

In November, authorities arrested Dylan Poole for allegedly robbing three bank across the region, plus an attempt to rob a fourth.

He was arrested when he got to a PNC Bank branch at Latrobe 30 Plaza and investigators confiscated his alleged robbery note that said he had a gun.

Authorities also linked Poole to bank robberies in McCandless, Donegal and the Wexford area.

“Anytime more people are involved and there are more bank robberies, we get a little piece of the puzzle,” Galeone said.

In the past four months, investigators have closed 23 of the robbery cases, or about 82 percent of them. Of the 39 robberies committed last year, about 30 — or 77 percent — have been solved.

Those suffering from addiction are turning to bank robberies for fast money to feed their substance abuse, Galeone said.

“We’re seeing an across-the-board surge,” Galeone said. “A lot of that is from drug users.”

Megan Guza is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Megan at 412-380-8519, mguza@tribweb.com or via Twitter @meganguzaTrib.