Anthony Davis Pleads Guilty to Running Cocaine Stash House

Anthony Davis, 41, of Donora, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to operating a high-volume cocaine stash house for the Mendoza/Lightfoot Drug Trafficking Organization, federal prosecutors announced today. The bust ends a seven-month investigation into one of the region’s most active narcotics cells.

Davis admitted in Pittsburgh federal court to one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, a charge carrying a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. U.S. District Judge Mark Hornak accepted the plea and scheduled sentencing for June 8, 2018, with final penalties to be determined under federal sentencing guidelines.

Court documents reveal Davis used his Donora home as a central storage and distribution hub from April 2017 to December 2017. He stored kilos of cocaine and marijuana, along with drug production tools, including a large hydraulic kilo press—equipment used to compress narcotics for bulk transport. He allegedly ran the operation alongside co-defendant Brandon Thomas, another suspected member of the DTO.

The operation collapsed on December 13, 2017, when a joint task force of FBI Special Agents, Pennsylvania State Police, and local law enforcement executed a search warrant at the residence. Inside the basement, agents seized approximately five ounces of cocaine, substantial quantities of marijuana, and $11,025 in cash—funds Davis has agreed to forfeit as part of his plea deal.

The investigation was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Monongahela Valley Residential Agency and the Pennsylvania State Police, with critical support from the South Strabane Police Department, Elizabeth Borough Police Department, Penn Hills Police Department, and Perryopolis Police Department. Authorities say the coordinated takedown disrupted a key node in the DTO’s regional supply chain.

Assistant United States Attorney Timothy M. Lanni is prosecuting the case. As the Mendoza/Lightfoot DTO case unfolds, federal officials warn that crackdowns on stash houses are part of a broader strategy to dismantle organized drug networks operating in southwestern Pennsylvania.