15 pounds of pot, crack, illegal guns confiscated in raid on Arnold home

Police say they found three garbage bags filled with nearly 15 pounds of marijuana along with crack cocaine, guns and other evidence of a drug-dealing operation when they raided a house in Arnold and arrested two brothers.

Malique Jamal Black, 24, and Tresean Black, 22, who both live in the 1600 block of Fourth Avenue, were charged with three felony counts of illegal possession of a firearm and conspiracy to deliver drugs along with four counts of possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia.

Tresean Black is being detained in the Westmoreland County jail in lieu of a $250,000 cash bond, according to court records. Malique Black is in the county jail on a $150,000 cash bond, according to court records.

They face preliminary hearings on the charges before District Judge Frank J. Pallone Jr. on Aug. 18.

The brothers were arrested Friday as part of a joint investigation involving agents from the state Attorney General’s Office, the Westmoreland County Drug Task Force and Lower Burrell police, according to a criminal complaint.

After announcing their arrival to serve a search warrant, the team broke through the front door after hearing people inside, the complaint said.

Once in the house, police arrested Tresean Black as he came out of a first-floor bedroom with a woman carrying a baby, the complaint said.

Malique Black, who was heard in an upstairs bedroom with a woman, was taken into custody as he was leaving the room and heading toward the stairs, police said.

Inside the second-floor bedroom crawlspace, police found three garbage bags with 13 smaller bags inside containing a total of 15 pounds of marijuana, the complaint said.

Also discovered in the crawlspace was a Ruger AR-15 rifle with a loaded drum magazine, a loaded Ruger 5.7 caliber pistol and a 9 mm Glock 17 with a loaded extended magazine, police said.

A search of the house and surrounding property also turned up a bag with 18.16 grams of crack cocaine, 270 stamp bags of heroin marked Lion King, a scale, packaging supplies, various types of live and spent ammunition and $4,381 in cash, according to their arrest papers.

The two men are not permitted to possess firearms because they previously were convicted of felonies, according to authorities.