Larry Dean, Crystal Meth Trafficking, Pennsylvania 2023

Thirty drug dealers are behind bars after a sprawling $1.6 million crystal methamphetamine ring was dismantled across Jefferson, Clearfield, Clarion, Elk, and Forest Counties. Over the past 18 months, investigators uncovered a network that flooded rural Pennsylvania with over 35 pounds of crystal meth, shipped through the U.S. Mail from suppliers in Arizona and California. The bust marks one of the largest meth operations ever uncovered in the state’s northern tier.

At the center of the operation were Larry Dean, 58, of Mayport, PA and Tucson, AZ, who orchestrated the cross-country mailings, and Dale Hanlin, 66, of Cooksburg, PA, a primary distributor in North Central PA. Dean used his dual residences to funnel shipments into Jefferson County, where Hanlin and a web of loosely connected dealers broke the meth into quarter- and half-gram doses — yielding between 32,000 and 64,000 individual hits sold across five counties.

Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced the charges at a press conference in Brookville, vowing that Pennsylvania would not tolerate out-of-state traffickers exploiting rural communities. “When drug traffickers from other states target rural Pennsylvania, our agents will be right here to catch them and shut these networks down,” Shapiro said. The 18-month investigation involved controlled buys, court-authorized electronic surveillance, and package interceptions that traced the supply chain from desert labs to backwoods towns.

The probe was a joint effort between the Office of Attorney General, Pennsylvania State Police, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and local law enforcement agencies including Brockway Borough, Brookville Borough, Clarion Borough, DuBois City, New Bethlehem, Sandy Township, and St. Mary’s. Investigators also worked closely with the district attorneys of Jefferson, Clarion, and Clearfield Counties to build a case that led to criminal charges against all 30 suspects.

Lieutenant Christopher J. Neal of Pennsylvania State Police Troop C in Punxsutawney emphasized the long-term threat posed by methamphetamine. “We have been battling the crystal methamphetamine scourge for several years,” Neal said, praising the collaboration that made the takedown possible. The operation exposed how traffickers exploited the U.S. Mail system to bypass traditional trafficking routes and law enforcement checkpoints.

Jefferson County District Attorney Jeff Burkett called the operation a turning point in the region’s fight against drug violence. “Today, we have delivered a major blow to methamphetamine trafficking in this area,” Burkett said. The AG’s office has vowed continued crackdowns, warning dealers that no corner of Pennsylvania is off-limits to investigators.

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