Man accused of selling fentanyl, cocaine after informant buys drugs during sting, police say

Arnold police arrested a man from Pittsburgh’s South Side neighborhood on Tuesday after they said he sold narcotics to an informant during a sting operation.

William Charles “Shug” King, 34, of the 700 block of South 21st Street, was charged with three felony counts of possession of drugs with the intent to deliver, along with a felony count of criminal use of a communications facility.

He also faces three other drug-related charges along with driving under the influence and a traffic citation, according to a criminal complaint.

King was released from custody on a $100,000 unsecured bond. He faces a preliminary hearing before District Judge Frank J. Pallone Jr. on March 31, according to court records.

Agents from the state Attorney General’s Office and the Westmoreland County Drug Task Force, which includes officers from Arnold and New Kensington, say they used an informant to arrange to buy fentanyl and cocaine from King on March 15.

Police said the informant called King and arranged to buy drugs at a prearranged location.

Undercover officers were waiting for King as his black Chevy Malibu crossed the Ninth Street Bridge into New Kensington at about 3:30 p.m. and before heading toward Arnold, the complaint said.

The vehicle was pulled over along Industrial Boulevard at 10th Street and King was taken into custody, police said.

Authorities said King had a cellphone on his lap with the GPS showing directions to the meetup site, police said.

Investigators said a mug found in the center console had 228 packets of the synthetic opioid fentanyl labeled “BMW M6” inside, along with 7.6 grams of crack cocaine, according to King’s arrest papers.

A digital scale was confiscated from the car’s center console, police said.