Andy Close
WARREN, Pa. – An Edinboro man was arrested in a Warren County Drug Task Force raid on Friday, Dec. 30.
Matthew J. Kemper, 27, of Edinboro has been charged with possession with intent to distribute, five counts of criminal use of a communications facility (felonies), and possession of a controlled substance (misdemeanor), per court documents.
Kemper was arraigned Saturday (Dec. 31) before District Judge Todd Woodin and taken to Warren County jail after failing to post $500,000 bail.
The raid was conducted at approximately 3 p.m. on Dec. 30 outside of the Quality Inn in Warren. Officers recovered Blue M30 pills that Chief Warren County Detective Thomas Kibbey said could be either Percocet or fentanyl.
The raid was conducted after a confidential source informed Kibbey that Kemper had made multiple statements in regards to selling him “blues,” also known as M30 pills, per the affidavit of probable cause.
Through an undercover operation, Kibbey had a text conversation with Kemper, who agreed to deliver 100 “blues” to a location in the City of Warren, per the affidavit.
Kemper confirmed the sale was arranged to take place on Dec. 30.
The investigation was conducted by the Warren County Drug Task Force, with assistance from the Warren County Sheriff’s Office, City of Warren Police, Conewango Township Police, Homeland Security Investigations, and Warren County Adult Probation, with the Warren Fire Department on standby.
The raid comes a little more than a week after Warren City Police warned the public about counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl circulating in the area. In that warning, police said two overdose deaths related to the pills had occurred in December. One of those deaths led to a Warren man being charged with multiple felonies.
“We do think some of the pills are related to recent overdoses in the area,” Kibbey said. “We’re putting an emphasis on trying to take out dealers who are bringing in these blue pills. If you see any of these pills, please contact the Warren County Drug Task Force.”
A preliminary hearing is set for 2 p.m. Wednesday (Jan. 5).
