After hearing testimony Wednesday from investigators about an alleged drug trafficking ring between Philadelphia and Butler, a district judge revoked the bond of a Butler defendant.

Desirae Feitl, 34, served as a conduit between heroin and fentanyl delivered to the region from Philadelphia, according to testimony from state narcotics agent Douglas Brink and county Detective Timothy Fennell.Brink and Fennell's investigation into the drug distribution arrangement included Feitl and four other defendants. With the alleged crime spanning the entire state, the Attorney General's Office is prosecuting the case.After the hearing, Feitl's attorney, Stephen Misko, asked District Judge William Fullerton to reduce Feitl's $750,000 bond. Fullerton asked Misko if he was sure he wanted to discuss her bond after hearing the testimony from Fennell and Brink about the alleged drug operations. Misko said he was sure, and Fullerton immediately revoked Feitl's bond. She will now be held indefinitely while she awaits trial. Fullerton also held all charges for court.According to a statewide investigating grand jury, Feitl and the others operated the ring between January and October 2020. The other defendants are Quinzal Powell, 29, of Philadelphia; Jodi Shirey, 50, of Butler; Brandi Zediker, 24, of Butler; and Crystal Pakutz, 28, of Butler. All of the defendants, except for Feitl, waived their preliminary hearings.The attorney general charged them each with felonies in corrupt organizations, delivery of a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, criminal use of a communication facility and conspiracy.The Office of Attorney General Bureau of Narcotics Investigations and the Butler County District Attorney's Drug Task Force led the investigation, with assistance from Butler City Police, Butler Township Police, Penn Township Police and the Butler County Sheriff's Department.Investigators believe the drugs may have led to some overdose deaths in Butler County, according to a news release from the Attorney General's Office.According to the release, on Oct. 1, 2020, a search warrant was executed at a hotel room rented by Pakutz. During the search, a bag of fentanyl, a scale, empty stamp bags and other packaging materials were allegedly recovered.On Oct. 15, Feitl was stopped and allegedly found to be in possession of seven bundles, or 70 bags, of fentanyl. A subsequent search of her residence allegedly produced 1,121 stamp bags of fentanyl and approximately $10,000 in cash. An additional $221,000 was located in a storage locker rented by Feitl, Shapiro said.On the same date, Powell was detained during a traffic stop, and a search of his vehicle allegedly produced 1,150 stamp bags of fentanyl that were hidden under the center console.The drug operation transported an estimated kilo of heroin/fentanyl for resale in Butler County with a street value of up to $400,000, the news release said.The arrests were made after months of 24-hour surveillance of Feitl's residence, according to Brink and Fennell's testimony Wednesday. They also allegedly obtained text message conversations between Feitl and Powell, in which the two would arrange to meet each other so that Powell could give Feitl heroin and fentanyl. Feitl would then allegedly sell the goods to local “addicts,” Fennell said.“She was supplying addicts with drugs,” Fennell said. “Her source was (Powell). She had no other source. She was distributing it to her addict customers.”Brink testified that during the investigation, Feitl had two phones in her possession: one was her work phone, the other a personal phone. The work phone number, he said, changed nine times during their investigation.“That's a very common thing in the drug world,” Brink said.He also testified that they had around-the-clock surveillance on her residence and a GPS monitor on her vehicle, allowing them to track her to meeting locations with her alleged customers.As for Powell, Brink said they were able to monitor his travels from Philadelphia to Butler. He said that Powell never took a direct route into Butler, avoiding the turnpike and using back roads.“That's typical behavior of someone transporting drugs,” Brink said.He said that Powell would sometimes stay in Butler after allegedly delivering the illegal goods to Feitl. But in those instances, Powell would never stay at Feitl's residence, choosing instead to stay in hotels or with friends. Brink said Powell came to Butler 32 times during their investigation.“Feitl was careful, guarded in her text message conversations and would often lecture Powell and customers about discussing drugs,” Brink said.

Desirae Feitl