G Raymond 
A federal grand jury has indicted a Warren man for violating federal drug laws after he allegedly bought meth on the dark web to sell, U.S. Attorney Scott Brady announced Friday.
Bradley J. McCaslin, 30, was named in the single-count indictment.
McCaslin attempted to possess with intent to distribute more than fifty grams of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine Dec. 16, 2019, according to the indictment.
McCaslin is accused of purchasing methamphetamine on the dark web to sell and redistribute those drugs in western Pennsylvania.
Police allege that Bradley James McCaslin and Thomas J. Valentine contacted a confidential informant back in October.
“Arrangements were made with Valentine to purchase 14 grams of methamphetamine for $185,” according to the affidavit of probable cause. “CI was provided $185 in pre-recorded Commonwealth funds to transfer to Valentine to make the purchase from the ‘Dark Web.’”
The “Dark Web” is encrypted online content that is not searchable through the typical browser.
Police report that “Valentine had received the shipment” on Nov. 4 and a CI went to Valentine’s Schumann Road residence shortly after 2 p.m. for the sale. The CI met with investigators who “observed the purchased evidence in a clear plastic bag which appeared consistent with methamphetamine” totaling 9 grams.
A similar arrangement was set up on Nov. 27 when a CI was given $275 to Valentine for an additional dark web purchase of 28 grams of methamphetamine with the sale occurring on Dec. 3, per the affidavit, which states that 24 grams were purchased.
McCaslin was contacted by police on July 30 at about 2:15 a.m., according to the affidavit of probable cause.
Police allege that his vehicle was observed in the northbound lane of Yankee Bush Road without headlights, taillights, hazard signals with a driver to “was sleeping soundly.”
Police say the operator, subsequently identified as McCaslin, “appeared lethargic and confused” and “had difficulty locating the handle to the door” of the vehicle.
McCaslin was “unsteady on his feet, lethargic” and his eyes appeared “to be reddened and glassy” and didn’t know where he was. “McCaslin was patted down and a pill bottle with no markings and a culinary skewer was located in his front right pocket.”
Police allege that he performed “a series of failed sobriety tests” and lab results indicated that he was under the influence and further note that “inside the unmarked pill bottle I observed what I believe to be methamphetamine in a clear plastic zip-loc bag.”
That methamphetamine totaled 3.5 grams.
“Also located in the pill bottle were 1055 pills stamped XANAX,” the affidavit states. “(Police) observed a zip-loc bag on the center console area of the vehicle that contained pills. This bag contained 431 pills stamped XANAX.”
McCaslin advised police that he “had taken two xanax this date. He also reported using methamphetamine daily and ingests it orally.”
According to the affidavit, a search warrant was conducted on the vehicle which revealed what was believed to be another 23 grams of methamphetamine.
Paraphernalia was also discovered in the vehicle.
If convicted, the law provides for a maximum total sentence of 40 years in prison, a fine of $5,000,000, or both.
