HARRISBURG, PA — Seven individuals have been charged in connection with a large-scale drug-trafficking network operating out of Blair County, Pennsylvania, with the group’s alleged ringleader also facing a murder charge related to a fatal overdose in 2022.
Attorney General Dave Sunday announced the charges this week, following an extensive investigation led by the Office of Attorney General’s Bureau of Narcotics Investigations and a presentment from the 51st Statewide Investigating Grand Jury.
According to prosecutors, Rickey “Rizz” Sharief Joyner, 44, is accused of heading the operation and serving as the main supplier of drugs to street-level dealers in the region. Joyner now faces charges including corrupt organizations, multiple felony drug-trafficking offenses, and third-degree murder tied to the overdose death of an Altoona resident in 2022.
Investigators allege that Joyner supplied a pill labeled as Oxycodone to the victim, which was in fact fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid linked to numerous overdose deaths nationwide.
“The hard work of investigators uncovered a Baltimore-to-Pennsylvania drug-trafficking pipeline that primarily involved sales of cocaine at Blair County bars and clubs,” Attorney General Sunday stated. “The culmination of agents’ and grand jurors’ efforts led to the takedown of this coordinated network of dealers.”
The investigation, supported by the Pennsylvania State Police, Blair County Drug Task Force, and the Blair County District Attorney’s Office, involved various tactics, including controlled purchases, execution of search warrants, and the analysis of financial transactions through payment apps.
In August 2024, authorities executed a search warrant at what they describe as Joyner’s stash house. During the operation, Joyner allegedly instructed others inside to destroy evidence, with agents observing bags of cocaine and drug paraphernalia being thrown from a window in an attempt to evade seizure.
Alongside Joyner, six other individuals were charged as alleged street-level dealers: Tareek Hemingway, Laura Horne, Cecylia Thompson, Matthew Rodriquez, Milton Williams, and Kirsten Wright. At this time, not all defendants — including Joyner — are in custody.
The cases will be prosecuted by the Office of Attorney General’s Drug Strike Force Section.
All charges are allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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