Pittsburgh-Area Felon Nabbed With Firearms, Fentanyl, Cash: PA AG

CLAIRTON, PA — Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday has announced the recent arrest of a Pittsburgh-area felon who had multiple firearms, thousands of fentanyl doses and thousands of dollars on him when he was apprehended.

Ismail A. Hamlin, 28, faces numerous felony and misdemeanor charges. He was arraigned last week and denied bail.

Law enforcement agencies served a search warrant last week at Hamlin’s home and found hundreds of bricks of fentanyl, firearms — including a “ghost gun” and illegal Glock switch —
and cash. Ghost guns are unregulated, untraceable firearms that do not have serial numbers.

Hamlin has prior drug-trafficking and firearms possession convictions that prohibit him from possessing firearms.

Throughout the investigation, officials seized 478 bricks of fentanyl — nearly 24,000 doses stamped for street sales — including 318 bricks that were seized Friday at Hamlin’s home.

Investigators also found at the home: 92 grams of crack cocaine, three assault rifles (one of which was a ghost gun), two Taurus handguns (one with an obliterated serial number), a Glock switch (which enables a semi-automatic handgun to be fully automatic), a large amount of ammunition and $19,677 in cash.

“This arrest is a testament to the value of law enforcement agencies working together to remove dangerous drug traffickers, and the poisons they distribute, from Pennsylvania communities,” Sunday said in a statement. “I commend the officers who collaborated to seize the illegally
possessed firearms and ammunition, and enough fentanyl doses to inflict devastation.”