Pottstown man sent to prison for drug and weapons charges

NORRISTOWN – A Pottstown man has been sentenced to prison on drug and weapons charges related to a methamphetamine trafficking investigation in the county.

Tyriq Darnell Coleman, 34, of Ryan Street, was sentenced in Montgomery District Court to 6 to 12 years in a state reformatory after pleading guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to resell and failure to possess a firearm in connection with incidents in August 2023.

Judge Thomas M. DelRicci, who agreed to a settlement in the case, said a Glock gun seized during the Coleman investigation would be turned over to the district attorney's office for destruction.

The investigation began in August 2023 when an informant told county investigators that Coleman, also known as “Foota,” was selling large quantities of methamphetamine in Pottstown from an apartment on Ryan Street and other locations in the county, court documents show.

While detectives were monitoring Coleman on August 29, they observed him conducting drug transactions outside his apartment on Ryan Street and the 400 block of Rowan Alley, according to the affidavit.

Authorities took Coleman into custody at the Rowan Alley location.

Investigators also used a certified drug-sniffing dog, borrowed from Limerick Township police, to “sniff” the exterior of a Hyundai vehicle operated by Coleman. The dog “provided positive evidence on the driver and passenger door seams” and indicated the presence of one or more drug odors, according to a criminal complaint filed by Pottstown police Officer Craig Johnson Jr. and District Investigator Cameron Parker.

Investigators then obtained a search warrant for Coleman's vehicle. During the search, authorities seized five plastic bags containing a cream-colored substance that tested positive for methamphetamine and 13 small containers containing cream-colored “crack rocks” of various shapes and sizes that were identified as cocaine, the criminal complaint states.

The detectives also confiscated a Glock Model 42 semi-automatic pistol in .380 caliber.

Based on their training and experience, investigators alleged Coleman possessed the drugs for sale and delivery, not for personal use. A background check also revealed that Coleman had a criminal history that prohibited him from owning or carrying a firearm.

Other charges against Coleman, namely carrying a firearm without a permit, possession of controlled substances and possession of drug paraphernalia, were dropped as part of the agreement.