Man Found With Meth, Hundreds of Fentanyl Bags During Centre County Traffic Stop, Police Say

A Clearfield County man was jailed on Wednesday after state police said they found him in possession of two pounds of methamphetamine and 337 bags of suspected fentanyl during a traffic stop in Centre County.

Joseph F. Alvin Jr., 41, of DuBois, is charged with two felony counts of possession with intent to deliver, misdemeanor counts of possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia and driving with a suspended license.

Troopers trooper pulled Alvin over for speeding and following a tractor-trailer too closely just before noon Wednesday on Interstate 80 in Marion Township. Alvin said he did not have his license and that the car did not belong to him, and he denied a request to search the vehicle after troopers suspected he and his passenger were transporting illegal drugs, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

A state police K-9 brought to the scene alerted to the presence of a controlled substance during an exterior search, and Alvin and his passenger were detained, according to the affidavit

The passenger, who has not been charged as of Friday morning, said she hid the fentanyl in her bra and had been asked to do so, police wrote. After obtaining a search warrant, police found a bag containing the methamphetamine concealed under a panel in the car, according to the affidavit.

State Attorney General Dave Sunday said the drugs had a combined street value of about $30,000.

“This takedown disrupted the flow of large quantities of dangerous narcotics being transported from Philadelphia into Clearfield County,” Sunday said in a statement on Friday. “Drug traffickers who reap profits in smaller, rural communities should know that we, along with law enforcement partners, are watching all regions of the Commonwealth.”

The arrest followed a monthslong, multi-agency investigation led by the Office of the Attorney General’s Bureau of Narcotics Investigation and the state police vice unit, Sunday said.

Alvin was arraigned by District Judge Don Hahn and was unable to post $405,000 bail. He is incarcerated at the Centre County Correctional Facility.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Feb. 4. The Centre County District Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case.