Uber ride ends in drug bust as man caught selling 430 bags of heroin in undercover sting
NORTH HUNTINGDON, PA — A Braddock man was busted with more than 400 stamp bags of suspected heroin and fentanyl after arriving in an Uber to meet an undercover officer for a planned $1,800 drug deal, police said.
Yusuf Tinsley-Ewell, 29, was arrested Monday in a coordinated sting operation involving the Westmoreland County Drug Task Force, Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, and North Huntingdon Township Police. Investigators say the deal was part of an ongoing narcotics investigation targeting opioid trafficking in the area.
The undercover officer had arranged with Tinsley-Ewell to purchase 10 bricks of heroin/fentanyl — roughly 430 stamp bags — for $1,800, according to police. The meeting point was set in a retail parking lot along Mills Drive in North Huntingdon Township.
Tinsley-Ewell allegedly arrived in an Uber before being picked up by the undercover officer. After completing the exchange, he was taken into custody shortly after exiting a nearby retail store. Police said he was found with $1,700 in prerecorded cash used in the controlled buy.
A search revealed two additional baggies of suspected cocaine along with the 430 stamp bags of heroin/fentanyl, all of which were seized and processed as evidence. Tinsley-Ewell was charged with multiple felony drug offenses, including possession with intent to deliver.
He was arraigned and transported to the Westmoreland County Prison after failing to post $250,000 bail.
According to the district attorney’s office, the operation is part of a broader effort to combat opioid distribution in Westmoreland County and surrounding regions.
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Key Points
- Braddock man arrested in undercover sting after delivering 430 heroin/fentanyl stamp bags
- Suspect arrived in Uber and completed $1,800 drug deal with undercover officer
- Bail set at $250,000; suspect remains in custody in Westmoreland County Prison