berks county drug bust 2021

Clearly, a bad batch of drugs landed in our community, and we are taking steps to stamp out this problem.. Subscribe today: Man charged in connection with 2016 Amity Township fatal shooting, Penn State Health primary care practice in Reading moving upstairs to bigger, better space, Berks History center announces free admission for Veterans in 2023, Video: Firefighters battle 3-alarm house fire in Kenhorst, Eastern Berks Regional Police looking for suspect in robbery, kidnapping, J-Van Body awarded state loan to produce specialty vans for people with disabilities, Boutiques showcase bridal, sportswear and date night chic in West Reading Fashion Show. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Milder with a mix of clouds and sun. Brand New App to watch all of WFMZ-TV News and Syndicated Programing 24/7 on your Streaming App enabled TV. Girl, 8, hailed a hero for actions during medical emergency, caring for baby brother, 4 retail shops opening soon in downtown Allentown, Community members address 'After School Satan Club' at Saucon Valley school board meeting, DA: Man threatened Saucon Valley School District because he was angry over After School Satan Club, Hearing continues on proposed expansion of Bethlehem Landfill, Nazareth girl holds book drive to donate to elementary students, Lehigh Valley Legends join sports buddies program for kids, Palmer Twp. Girl, 8, hailed a hero for actions during medical emergency, caring for baby brother, 4 retail shops opening soon in downtown Allentown, Community members address 'After School Satan Club' at Saucon Valley school board meeting, DA: Man threatened Saucon Valley School District because he was angry over After School Satan Club, DA: Fentanyl a factor in increasing overdose deaths, State agents arrest Georgia man with more than 3 pounds of meth, 2020 overdose deaths highest-ever recorded in Berks, Reading Mayor Eddie Moran announces reelection bid, Reading Planning Commission tables final plan for church campus, Pa. state senators announce bill that would crack down on distracted driving, Police seeking suspect in Colebrookdale robbery, kidnapping, 69 News speaks with Pa. Lt. Gov. Following up on leads, Vice investigators were able to obtain a search warrant for the second floor of 343 North 8th Street. BOAT BUST: The county's biggest drug bust seized 3,164 pounds of methamphetamine from the above panga boat, which came ashore at Arroyo Quemada Beach on August 19, 2020. Investigators said they believe the drugs came into Schuylkill from Luzerne County, although they are unaware how the drugs were transported to Luzerne. Here's what to know. Berks County has seen more than 100 overdoses and one death since Saturday from a "bad batch of drugs," Berks County District Attorney John T. Adams said Tuesday afternoon, and officials. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Those highlighted in red are in custody the others are still at large. "The investigation revealed that Irizarry was being was being supplied by at least two distinct organizations.". 15 of the 24 suspected mid-level drug dealers are now in police custody. were among 23 people charged after the investigation of a Berks - . The seven firearms seized will never be used to inflict violence on our community., Tornielli added, the officers, investigators and supervisors of the Reading Police Department will continue their efforts to make our city a safer place. "We will extradite them from anywhere to face justice here in our county.". Authorities arrested Rivera, Arius Cooper, Lynchel Cooper, and John Reppert in Reading. 2022 Hugg Media Group. In May 2021, PSP provided the results of its investigation to Pennsylvania Senior Deputy Attorney General Heather Castellino for presentment to the 45th Statewide Investigating Grand Jury. holds hearing for developer Atiyeh's proposed trucking terminal, Whitehall couple celebrates 75th wedding anniversary, Voting begins March 1 in What's So Cool About Manufacturing Contest. In the immediate aftermath of the overdoses, an investigation led to the raid of three locations where street level quantities of the tainted drugs were being sold. If you know the whereabouts of Sanabria or Matthew, call the Berks County detectives at 610-478-7171. Assorted packaging material, processing equipment, and a large amount of cutting agents all related to the packaging and processing heroin and cocaine. Sixto Cruz, 62; Margos Hernandez, 38; and George L. Cruz, 53, were arrested and charged with possession, possession with the intent to deliver, delivery of heroin and cocaine and criminal conspiracy. Peterson first condemned Hamlin on Sunday . "Today, 27 defendants were charged with operating a large-scale drug trafficking organization that operated in Berks and Montgomery counties and other surrounding counties," Berks County. "The FedEx's, UPS and U.S. Mail are unfortunately being utilized by the bad guys to ship their product to our area from Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Mexico," Adams said. The investigation began in July 2022 and involved dangerous undercover work. All Rights Reserved. Brand New App to watch all of WFMZ-TV News and Syndicated Programing 24/7 on your Streaming App enabled TV. Tornielli said his department received complaints about illegal drug sales coming from a home in the 300 block of North 8th Street. "Human trafficking is prevalent in our own communities within the commonwealth," said Major Jeremy Richard, director of the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Those numbers are shocking, astronomical, Adams said at a press conference Tuesday afternoon. "This amount is a fairly conservative estimate.". During this phase of the investigation, it became apparent that this organization may have been tied to a United States Postal Service (USPS) case where they were investigating parcels of cocaine and fentanyl being shipped via United States Postal Service priority express mail, originating in Mexico to Puerto Rico and destined for Reading, PA. An analysis of intelligence and data suggested that the best course of action to neutralize this criminal enterprise would be non-consensual interception of certain members communications. In July of 2022, detectives from the Montgomery County District Attorneys Office identified a drug dealer operating in Norristown, PA who was distributing cocaine. Crime Map. The defendants were preliminary arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Gail Greth. Brand New App to watch all of WFMZ-TV News and Syndicated Programing 24/7 on your Streaming App enabled TV. Error! "We're already in the double digits for 2021.". Berks County Courthouse . "Despite the COVID crisis, we are still hard at work and we will arrest you if you are involved with the distributing of illegal substances, drugs in our community," said Adams. Here's what to know. Thompson was responsible for posting advertisements and communicating with customers while Rivera and Ellis utilized drugs to lure some of the victims into prostitution and then control them. Authorities said they still have work to do, as 10 more arrests need to be made. We promise, as we have promised previously, we will continue to investigate and prosecute these peddlers of poison in our community, he said. I would like to take this time to publicly commend them for all their efforts and hard work that often go unnoticed. . om . Over the course of the investigation, dubbed Operation Caribbean Snowfall, two undercover officers infiltrated this organization and purchased bulk quantities of cocaine and fentanyl. His home at 119 N. Third St. was one of the locations that was raided. of marijuana (street value of $31,783), 791 grams of bulk MDMA (street value of $7,919), in addition to various pistols and rifles. "Numerous parcels destined for residences in Reading, Pa., were intercepted and seized by the postal service," Adams said. Eli Lilly to cut insulin prices, cap costs at $35 for many people with diabetes. June 24, 2014, 1:44 PM. He has been a journalist since 2006 either as a freelancer or on staff at a local newspaper. Seal pup rescued trying to cross highway in Ocean County, Biden to nominate Julie Su as US labor secretary, U-Haul leads police on 90 mph chase through more than 50 streets across Philadelphia, Police investigate deadly box truck, cherry picker accident in Mercer County, Toddler drops bottle near orangutan at LA Zoo: Watch what happens next, Questions remain about accused killer of Temple police officer: 'I wish I could explain it', I didnt realize: Woman mistakenly eats heart-shaped chip that could have won her 100K. Detectives are still looking for two others, Luis Sanabria, aka "Streetz," and Charles Matthew, aka "Black.". But that was just the tip of the iceberg. "These 27 defendants are some of the top suppliers of drugs in our region," said Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele. We have stopped some sources of these drugs, Adams said. Investigators also seized narcotics, drug packaging materials, and a firearm. "People are dying every day from overdosing on some of the substances that were confiscated in this investigation," said Berks County District Attorney John Adams. holds hearing for developer Atiyeh's proposed trucking terminal, Whitehall couple celebrates 75th wedding anniversary, Voting begins March 1 in What's So Cool About Manufacturing Contest, Pa. state senators announce bill that would crack down on distracted driving, Reading Mayor Eddie Moran announces reelection bid, Reading Planning Commission tables final plan for church campus, Police seeking suspect in Colebrookdale robbery, kidnapping, 69 News speaks with Pa. Lt. Gov. According to Adams, detectives seized large amounts of heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana and synthetic marijuana, or K2. Austin Davis about making history, why he got into public service, Historians remember folklore and legend surrounding the 'Lizzie Lincoln House', Berks History Center, NAACP discuss more inclusive exhibit opportunities, Police seek thief suspected in over a dozen burglaries at Lowe's stores, Exeter supervisors meet in relative peace. Get local Breaking News alerts sent directly to your inbox. The suspects who have been sent to prison are: Miguel Carrasquillo Apolinaris of Hazleton; Joseph James Ganunis, of Saint Clair, and Dennis Shafe, of Pottsville, are still at large. Crime Alert Berks County: Two sought in theft of $150,000 worth of jewelry. Over 100 law enforcement officers raided those seven locations dismantling the ring in an effort designated Operation SmackDown. "Two undercover officers infiltrated this organization and purchased bulk quantities of cocaine and fentanyl," Adams said. Get local Breaking News alerts sent directly to your inbox. . These parcels were searched, and numerous kilograms of cocaine and fentanyl were discovered and seized. "The investigation revealed that Noel was associated with numerous individuals who either were being supplied by Rivera or assisted Rivera with acquiring bulk quantities of illegal drugs," Adams said. 2022 Hugg Media Group. READING, Pa. Investigators dub it "Operation Caribbean Snowfall.". "This was a multi-million dollar drug organization with connections as far west as Los Angeles, California, as far south as Puerto Rico," said Berks County District Attorney John Adams, who announced results of the joint investigation during a news conference in Reading on Thursday. "Today, 27 defendants were charged with operating a large-scale drug trafficking organization that operated in Berks and Montgomery counties and other surrounding counties," Berks County District Attorney John Adams said during a news conference in Reading on Thursday. PHOTOS: Suspects in Berks County drug bust. What weve seen this past weekend and what we are learning about this past weekend is something that no one could have imagined or could have expected.. TikTok sets new default time limits for minors, Lilly plans to slash some insulin prices, expand cost cap, Finland's Parliament gives final approval for NATO bid, Metaverse in spotlight at MWC tech fair even as doubts arise, Nigerian president-elect Bola Tinubu strikes unified tone, US futures, global shares up on strong China factory data, Supreme Court hears dispute between New York and New Jersey, Here are the countries that have bans on TikTok, Turkey intends to hold elections on May 14 despite quake, What the Tech? [] Many of the chemical compounds are typical to what investigators find in street drugs, Adam said. Breezy at times too.. Mostly cloudy with a shower possible late. Since Sunday, officers from the Reading Police Department and the district attorneys office have executed three search warrants in the city. AUGUSTA, GA - Eight men and one woman have been named in a newly unsealed federal indictment for taking part in a major drug trafficking conspiracy that funneled cocaine and other drugs from Atlanta to the Waynesboro, Ga., area. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. We will continue our efforts to stamp out the sources that are contributing to the scourge in our community said District Attorney John T. Adams. Error! The police said the home in Shillington was where they were supplying the house in the city, which was where most of the drug sales were happening. Investigators said they obtained and served search warrants at these locations on Nov. 3 and 4. Takaria Vashon McCray, 47, was sentenced on Aug. 25, 2021, by Judge Middlebrooks, to 188 . Adams said that six individuals believed to be involved in the ring remain at large. "This case is a testament to the millions of men, women, and children who are trafficked worldwide and, in every city, suburb, and town in this great commonwealth.". Individuals were arrested Thursday in an early-morning round-up. Multiple specimens have been sent to a specialty lab in an effort to determine what is in the drugs, Santoro said. . Error! This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area. Wednesdays raid should serve as a message to those in the illegal drug trade, the DA said. Law enforcement quickly leapt into action, and by Sunday afternoon, Reading police and Berks County detectives executed a search warrant in the 200 block of North Eighth Street. 2. qy. Berks County has seen more than 100 overdoses and one death since Saturday from a bad batch of drugs, Berks County District Attorney John T. Adams said Tuesday afternoon, and officials are not entirely sure what is in the drugs. Search form. The indictment in USA v. Rhaney et al, dubbed Operation Washout, represents a significant, coordinated attack on . "This large amount of fentanyl was seized at 122 Pennwyn Place, the location where Daniel Delacruz was operating from.". SHILLINGTON, Pa. - A drug bust has taken nearly $300,000 worth of illegal drugs off the streets of Berks County, according to law enforcement authorities. Additionally, numerous parcels destined for residences in Reading, PA were interdicted and seized by USPS Inspectors. Adams was joined by Dr. William Santoro, chief of the division of addiction medicine at Tower Health, and Council on Chemical Abuse Executive Director Stanley J. Papademetriou in the Berks County Services Center to drive home the importance of the crisis. The postal service, '' Adams said at a press conference Tuesday afternoon for validation purposes and should left. Berks - `` these 27 defendants are some of the 24 suspected mid-level drug are. Was just the tip of the locations that was raided preliminary arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Gail Greth, sentenced... Cut insulin prices, cap costs at $ 35 for many people with diabetes, Santoro.. North 8th Street Reading, Pa., were intercepted and seized by USPS.. Warrants at these locations on Nov. 3 and 4 trade, the location where Daniel Delacruz operating! Arrested Rivera, Arius Cooper, Lynchel Cooper, Lynchel Cooper, Lynchel,. Our community, and John Reppert in Reading been a journalist since 2006 as. Defendants are some of the top suppliers of drugs in our region, '' said County! 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