Butler woman pleads guilty to charges in statewide fentanyl ring
A Butler woman pleaded guilty Wednesday for her role in a drug ring that transported an estimated 1 kilogram of heroin/fentanyl with a street value of up to $400,000 for resale in Butler County, according to the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General.
Desirae Feitl, 35, pleaded guilty to one count of delivery of a controlled substance for her role in the mass distribution and trafficking of the drugs from Philadelphia to Butler County, the office said.
Investigators believe that the drugs in the case may have led to some overdose deaths in Butler County.
Feitl was charged in May 2021 with eight felony counts for her role in the drug ring, which she and four others operated from January to October of 2020, police said.
“The defendant profited from distributing dangerous drugs that perpetuate the opioid epidemic and devastate Pennsylvania communities,” said Attorney General Josh Shapiro in a news release. “Fourteen Pennsylvanians die from opioids every day, and we will not sit idly by while dealers traffic poison across Pennsylvania."
Within Butler County during this window of time, Feitl and Crystal Pakutz each sold approximately 256 and 820 grams, or 12,800 and 41,000 doses, of heroin/fentanyl, according to the Attorney General’s office.
Court records show Feitl was stopped by police on Oct.15, 2020, and found to be in possession of seven bundles, or 70 bags, of fentanyl. A subsequent search of her residence produced 1,121 stamp bags of fentanyl and approximately $10,000. An additional $221,000 was located in a storage locker rented by Feitl.
On the same date another person charged in the case, Quinzal Powell, was stopped during a traffic stop in Butler. A search of his vehicle produced 1,150 stamp bags of fentanyl that were hidden under the center console.
Shapiro’s office said the charges resulted from a joint investigation with the Office of Attorney General Bureau of Narcotics Investigations and the Butler County District Attorney’s Drug Task Force, with Butler City Police, Butler Township Police, Penn Township Police and Butler County Sheriff’s Department assisting in various capacities.
Feitl’s sentencing is scheduled for January.
