2 jailed in Trafford drug bust; police seize $81K from suspect

Two people are being held without bail after police said they found $6,000, four bricks of suspected heroin and a stolen gun at a Trafford apartment last month, according to court papers.

Westmoreland County detectives and Penn Township police on Friday charged Gessica A. Merlin, 25, of Hempfield, and Damone A. Morton, 27, of Jeannette, with receiving stolen property and drug offenses.

Morton faces an additional charge of knowledge that property is proceeds of an illegal act. Authorities said he spent $44,550 at Live! Casino Pittsburgh in Hempfield between September 2020 and March 2022 and investigators reported seizing $81,000 belonging to him that was stashed at two relatives’ homes, according to court papers. He has not reported income since the end of 2018, police said.

On April 28, investigators served a search warrant at a Fourth Street apartment where they said the two suspects were living. In addition to the heroin, police said they found pills and prescription narcotics, according to court papers.

The gun had been reported stolen to West Newton police and the $6,000 contained $420 in cash authorities said they used during previous controlled buys.

Police did not say in court papers what led them to search the government subsidized homes of Morton’s relatives, but they believe the $81,000 found there belongs to him. Authorities examined Morton’s casino players club card transactions during the investigation.

Morton and Merlin were being held at the Westmoreland County Prison. Neither suspect had an attorney listed in online court records. Preliminary hearings are set for May 24.