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Warren man faces federal drug charges from December bust

Times Observer photo by Brian Ferry Bradley McCaslin is escorted into Warren County Jail back in December by Warren County Sheriff’s Deputy Tom Kibbey, Conewango Township Police Officer Jason Woodin, and Warren County Detective Brian Zeybel. He now faces federal charges that carry a five year mandatory minimum period of incarceration.

By JOSH COTTON

jcotton@timesobserver.com

A Warren man sentenced in county court on drug and driving under the influence charges last week has much bigger legal problems ahead.

Bradley J. McCaslin, 30, was sentenced last week to nearly 12 months in county prison on charges of possession with intent to deliver and a controlled substance DUI.

But federal charges are looming.

According to an indictment memorandum, a grand jury seated in Erie “returned a one-count indictment” against McCaslin from an incident that occurred last December here in Warren County. The specific charge includes that he attempted to possess over 50 grams of substances that included methamphetamine.

The offense carries a mandatory minimum of five years in federal prison — with a max of 40 — and a fine of up to $5 million.

The case had been sealed, court records show, on June 9 as U.S. attorneys argued that such a step is “in the best interest of justice and integral to the integrity of the grand jury process” and “to ensure the arrest of the defendant not be compromised and that the secrecy of the grand jury proceedings be maintained to prevent disclosure of matters occurring before the grand jury.”

McCaslin was out on $20,000 unsecured bond in light of his June 16 plea.

McCaslin and Thomas Valentine were both arrested back in December in Warren County.

When the arrests were initially made, Warren County Chief Detective Brian Zeybel told the Times Observer that the methamphetamine ordered via the ‘Dark Web’ — encrypted online content that is not searchable through the typical browser — was tracked by the U.S. Postal Service.

Zeybel said a total of about 80 grams of meth — a street value of about $6,000 to $7,000 — was seized.

Search warrants were served on those packages in Pittsburgh and the drugs were seized. Officers replaced the meth with look-alike material for the controlled delivery.

The investigation began locally in August 2019 and it was anticipated the feds might get involved. A search of federal court records indicated no public filings against Valentine.

The Warren County Drug Task Force, U.S. Postal Inspectors Office, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Pennsylvania State Police Strike Force with additional officers from Conewango Township Police, Warren County Sheriff’s Office, Warren-based Pennsylvania State Police, and City of Warren Police served the warrants.

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