Two Nabbed In Wilkes-Barre Drug Raid; Home Shut Down

Two men face multiple drug charges following a raid at a Wilkes-Barre home on Thursday.

Wilkes-Barre police and state police executed a search warrant at 284 N. Washington St. at about 12:30 p.m. Thursday, police said in a news release.

Police said they found “distribution quantities” of cocaine, heroin and marijuana in the home and arrested Louis Soto, 25, and Brian Lulewicz, 30. The men were taken into custody without incident, police said. An investigation by city and state police revealed that the two men were selling large quantities of heroin and cocaine from the residence and were armed, according to police.

Read more: http://citizensvoice.com/news/two-nabbed-in-w-b-drug-raid-home-shut-down-1.1822054

Drugs, Gun Seized In Wilkes-Barre Raid

The Wilkes-Barre Police Anti Crime Unit and the Wilkes-Barre Drug Task force raided a residence on Blackman Street on a drug warrant early Wednesday morning.

The raid was a result of an ongoing investigation targeting drug trafficking in the Rolling Mill Hill section of the city and its surrounding areas, police said.

The investigation revealed Julio “Cesar” Fortuna, 21, was dealing large quantities of high-grade marijuana from his residence and the surrounding streets, police said. Authorities raided 431 Blackman St. around 6 a.m. Wednesday and took Fortuna into custody without incident, police said.

Read more: http://citizensvoice.com/news/drugs-gun-seized-in-wilkes-barre-raid-1.1813789

Cops: Man Hands Them Pot At Sherman Hills, Leads Them On High-Speed Chase

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Luzerne County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

WILKES-BARRE — A New Jersey man faces a slew of charges and bail of $250,000 after he allegedly led police on a high-speed chase from the Sherman Hills apartment complex following a traffic stop.

Officers conducted a traffic stop on Bradley Ercel Burgess, of Bergin Avenue, Jersey City, New Jersey, just after 7 p.m. Wednesday near Coal Street and Logan Court and detected a strong odor of marijuana coming from Burgess’ vehicle, police said.

Police asked Burgess what he was doing in Sherman Hills, and he told them he was visiting a friend. When asked if he had any marijuana in the vehicle, Burgess allegedly handed an officer a cigar packet and stated that it contained a small bag of marijuana, police said.

Read more:  http://www.timesleader.com/news/local-news-news/50184160/Man-arrested-after-high-speed-chase-from-Sherman-Hills#.U_iwJPRDsxI

Wiz Khalifa Taking Under The Influence Tour To Camden / Scranton

Editor’s note:  Don’t necessarily agree with some of his activities but it’s cool to see somebody from Pittsburgh love their hometown and be proud of it.  

Summer is Wiz Khalifa time. His tune “Shell Shocked” is on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sound track. His new album, Blacc Hollywood, drops in August. And the rapper will take his third Under the Influence of Music summer tour through Scranton on Thursday and to Camden on Friday.

“I always wanted to make Under the Influence something to talk about,” says Khalifa, “not just the day after the show, but the rest of your life.”

He’s a Pittsburgh native. His 2010 hit “Black and Yellow” was a pledge of allegiance to the Steelers. “Eagles, Steelers,” he says. “You know there’s no competition. You already know about that.” But there is a Philly connection: his wife, South Philadelphia-raised Amber Rose. “My Philly girl,” he calls her. He and the model married in 2013 after their son, Sebastian, was born, and they settled in Canonsburg, near Pittsburgh.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/20140724_Wiz_Khalifa_taking_Under_the_Influence_tour_to_Scranton_and_Camden.html#sQPxiIK8oCy2WyV3.99

Three Birdsboro Residents Arrested In Drug Ring Investigation

Map of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States with township and municipal boundaries (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

HARRISBURG, PA — A joint investigation between state and local officials uncovered a large-scale drug ring that spanned three counties.

The results of the year-long “Operation Tourniquet” lead to the arrests of “48 mid- and street-level drug dealers,” a press release from the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office said.

The dealers, the release said, “were part of two organizations, who were loosely tied and responsible for distributing drugs throughout at least three counties including Berks, Lancaster, and Schuylkill.”

Three Birdsboro residents where among the alleged “street-level” dealers who were arrested.

Read more: http://www.dailylocal.com/general-news/20140624/three-birdsboro-residents-arrested-in-drug-ring-investigation

20 Face Charges In Drug Sweep In Tamaqua

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Schuylkill County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

TAMAQUA, PA – Arrest papers and pictures of suspects in hand, officers knocked on doors in the Tamaqua area Monday morning, taking more than a dozen people into custody on drug charges.

At least one defendant was arrested for drug possession, while most of the defendants are accused of actually selling drugs, according to Schuylkill County District Attorney Christine Holman, who along with Tamaqua police Chief Rick Weaver and members of the county drug task force orchestrated the effort.

In total, 17 warrants were served, though 20 are facing charges. The arrests came after months of police investigations involving undercover and controlled drug purchases of narcotics, some of which involved video-recorded purchases for the sale of methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana.

Holman, who sat through all of Monday’s arraignments, personally asked that each person be held on high bail, stating over and over again that her office and law enforcement are taking a tough stance on drugs in the county and considers those dealing to be a danger to the community.

Read more: http://republicanherald.com/news/20-face-charges-in-drug-sweep-in-tamaqua-1.1704236

Two Haverford School Graduates Charged With Selling Drugs At Main Line High Schools And Colleges

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Two graduates of the Haverford School on the Main Line were arrested Monday after authorities said they led a drug trafficking ring the dealers called “the Main Line takeover project” that targeted local high schools and colleges.

As the name implied, the goal of the dealers was to “take over from existing drug dealers the marijuana business in the Main Line section of Montgomery County,” authorities said.

The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office said that Neil K. Scott, 25, of Haverford, and Timothy C. Brooks, 18, of Villanova, employed high school students at Lower Merion, Harriton, Conestoga, and Radnor High Schools and college students at Haverford, Gettysburg and Lafayette Colleges to be “sub-dealers.”

The ring allegedly also sold cocaine, hash oil and ecstasy to students on the Main Line, police said.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20140422_Police__Drug_ring_specialized_in_high_schools__colleges.html#3mVqFJ2QWKZ5UwsK.99

Dunmore May Condemn Homes Where Drugs Are Sold

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Lackawanna County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

DUNMORE, PA – Drug dealers who settle in the borough may soon find themselves homeless.

Borough council next month will consider amending Dunmore’s building code ordinance to temporarily condemn homes and apartments where people are selling or manufacturing drugs.

“A one-time zone violation of drug activity on site will result in immediate closure of the property,” solicitor Thomas Cummings told councilmen on Monday. “It mirrors (ordinances) used by other communities in an effort to stem the drug problem which … destroys the neighborhood, destroys the property value and just creates a downward spiral.”

Borough lawmakers were already thinking of doing more to combat drugs when Dunmore police and Lackawanna County detectives found a large cache of drugs and related paraphernalia at a Prescott Avenue home last month.

Read more: http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/dunmore-may-condemn-homes-where-drugs-are-sold-1.1668476

Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Street Crimes Unit Nets Over 100 Arrests In Hazleton

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Luzerne County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

HAZLETON, PA — The state’s top cop came to Hazleton on Wednesday to trumpet the success of her Mobile Street Crimes Unit, which has netted more than 100 arrests and seized more than 35,000 packets of heroin in southern Luzerne County over the past five months.

Just in the last three days, state Attorney General Kathleen Kane said, agents made more than 40 arrests and seized 9,060 packets of heroin as part of Operation Rising Star — a moniker chosen by Hazleton Police Chief Frank DeAndrea.

Kane said Hazleton has been “a breeding ground” for the distribution of heroin, with interstates 80 and 81 nearby as a convenient pipeline to New York City and northern New Jersey suppliers.

Read more: http://timesleader.com/news/local-news/1205689/Crimes-unit-nets-over-100-arrests-in-Hazleton-area

Poll: More In NJ Want Pot Than Online Gambling

Map of New Jersey (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) – A new poll finds more New Jersey residents want to smoke pot than gamble over the Internet.

A Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind poll finds 41 percent of respondents would support smoking marijuana recreationally if it became legal. That compares with only 32 percent who support gambling over the Internet, which is legal in New Jersey now.

The poll finds support for online gambling has fallen, even as it enters its third full month and more than 150,000 online gambling accounts have been set up in the state.

“The public’s attitude was, for several years, warming up to online gambling,” said poll director Krista Jenkins. “But there has been a clear change in direction now that the practice has actually been legalized. Part of the public has always shown deep reluctance to make gambling so accessible in their own homes. Now that it is in fact legal, they may be more concerned than ever.”

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/new_jersey/20140203_ap_ea57de2926384e6087d93750dc244999.html#uC9fqrd0erf0e8Y4.99

Reefer Madness Arrives In Colorado As Sales Begin

DENVER, CO — At 8 a.m. on New Year’s Day, in an industrial area a few miles from downtown Denver, a former Marine named Sean Azzariti walked into a giant store and bought a bag of weed. Legally. To smoke just for fun, if he’s so inclined.

Mr. Azzariti’s transaction Wednesday — 3.5 grams of Bubba Kush for $40 and 50 mg of Truffles for an additional $9.28 — was the first in the state’s grand experiment in legalizing marijuana for recreational use.

The first-in-the-nation law was greeted with long lines at retailers and a lot of “Rocky Mountain High” jokes. But beyond the buzz, the measure represented the institution of a major new public policy in America — one opponents fear will turn the state into a dangerous land of debauchery and that backers hope sets a nationwide precedent.

If Colorado is able to successfully legalize marijuana without causing a social backlash, the tourism, tax and other considerations are likely to compel several other states to quickly follow suit.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/news/world/2014/01/02/Reefer-madness-arrives-in-Colorado-as-sales-begin/stories/201401020165#ixzz2pGsOK9DV

After Philly’s Running Of The Santas, A Tragic Death

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Philadelphia County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

HE LAST SUIT Adam Herr wore was an outward expression of the ideals he embodied – joy, generosity and love.

The last suit Adam Herr wore was a Santa Claus suit.

Herr, 24, of Lebanon, Pa., was in Philadelphia for the annual Running of the Santas on Saturday when somehow, about 10:25 p.m., he found himself in costume and on foot on Interstate 95 South near the I-676 interchange.

Motorist Augustine Bangura, 27, of Philadelphia, was also on I-95 at the same spot at the same time, State Police said. Apparently he did not see Herr or his red suit.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20131209_After_Philly_s_Running_of_the_Santas__a_tragedy.html#Soa0zLfdrT4BTO5b.99

Six People Arrested On Drug Trafficking Charges

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Luzerne County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

HANOVER TWP. — Two people were arrested after authorities allege they sold crack cocaine near a school and four others were picked up on heroin trafficking charges.

Egerton “Repo” Wood, 37, of Boland Avenue, Hanover Township, and Geovanni Henry Johnson, 32, of Horton Street, Wilkes-Barre, were arrested earlier this week on charges they sold crack cocaine within 1000 feet of the Hanover Area Memorial School on West Saint Marys Road.

Authorities allege they seized crack cocaine, marijuana, a scale and cash during the arrest and execution of a search warrant.

Read more: http://www.timesleader.com/news/local-news/1032802/Six-people-arrested-on-drug-trafficking-charges

18 From Berks Arrested, 8 More Sought On Drug Trafficking Charges

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Berks County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Eighteen mid- to low-level drug dealers were arrested Wednesday during a roundup by detectives from the district attorney’s drug task force, Reading police and the sheriff’s department.  In addition to those arrested, detectives have arrest warrants for eight others.

The arrests culminated a nearly yearlong investigation that began with complaints from residents and tips from informants, authorities said.

The suspects sold small amounts of heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana to undercover detectives, authorities said.

Undercover detectives arranged transactions with the dealers for amounts ranging from $50 to $2,870 between January and this week, County Chief Detective Michael J. Gombar said.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article/20131205/NEWS/312059917#.UqCzmLB3uM8

York Police Arrest One In Drug Bust, Say Investigation Ongoing

Map of York County, Pennsylvania, United States with township and municipal boundaries (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The York City Police Narcotics Unit arrested Nneka Banks, 30, on Tuesday and seized more than $50,000 in heroin from her home in the 100 block of Parkway Boulevard, according to a news release.
Police executed a warrant and seized 2,521 bags of heroin, police said. Officers also took 82 grams of cocaine, valued at $8,200, and 25 grams of marijuana, valued at $250.

“We believe this was what we call a stash house,” which is a place where drugs are stored but not sold, York City Police Detective First Class Andrew Shaffer said.

Read more: http://www.ydr.com/local/ci_24601946/york-police-arrest-one-drug-bust-say-investigation

The City of York is having a record-breaking year for large drug busts: http://www.ydr.com/ci_23841297/york-city-police-nab-record-amount-heroin

84 Arrested In Philly Narcotics Sweep

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Philadelphia County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Philadelphia police arrested 84 people and seized more than $100,000 worth of drugs in a citywide sweep earlier this week, the department announced Friday.

The sweep also yielded 18 firearms, including a .40 caliber assault rifle, police said.

The operation is the third of its kind that police have conducted this year, said Capt. Tom Davidson, the commanding officer of the Narcotics Field Unit. But Monday’s sweep was the first that focused on districts across the city, he said, instead of targeting a particular neighborhood.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/20131123_84_arrested_in_citywide_narcotics_sweep.html#GZOxcCyDCulfUZsF.99

Wilkes-Barre Man Caught Growing Pot In State Gamelands

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Luzerne County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A Wilkes-Barre man faces charges for allegedly growing 170 marijuana plants on state game lands in Dennison Township.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission, in conjunction with the state Office of Attorney General, today filed charges in the case against Thomas Dalton, 47, of Airy Street, is charged with one felony count of manufacture of a controlled substance, one felony count of possession with the intent to deliver a controlled substance, and one misdemeanor count of possession of a controlled substance.

Dalton also is charged with violating the Game and Wildlife Code by unlawfully traveling by motorized vehicle on state game lands, possessing a controlled substance or drug paraphernalia, using game lands for commercial purpose, and additional violations.

Charges were filed at the office of Magisterial District Judge Gerald Feissner in Freeland. Dalton was released without bail on his word he will appear in court Dec. 27.

Read more: http://www.timesleader.com/news/local-news/877269/Wilkes-Barre-man-caught-growing-pot-in-state-gamelands

Two New York Residents Arrested After State Police Pull Over Vehicle In Plains Twp.

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Luzerne County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

PLAINS TOWNSHIP, PA — A traffic stop made because of a vehicle following another too closely resulted in the discovery of 175 heroin packets and the arrests of two people from New York, state police at Wyoming said.

Lawanda Laquazar Slade, 33, of Brooklyn, and Chuckie Stevenson McDaniels, 39, of Uniondale, were arraigned Wednesday on two counts of possession of a controlled substance and one count each of possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, criminal conspiracy and attempting to destroy evidence.  Slade was also charged with a traffic citation and McDaniels charged with escape, resisting arrest and providing false identification to law enforcement.

Read more:  http://www.timesleader.com/news/local-news/718821/Police:-175-heroin-packets-seized-in-traffic-stop

Pottstown Police Find 932 Bags Of Heroin In Apartment Of Parolee

Editor’s note:  Earth to borough council. You better get a grip on the pervasive drug problem in town!

POTTSTOWN —Police arrested a man on parole after they found a gun and more than 900 bags of heroin in his apartment.

Dashawn Smith, 22, of Pottstown was charged with one count of felony intent to manufacture or deliver and one count of felony possession of a firearm after Pennsylvania State Parole agents searched his Elm Street apartment on June 19.

During the search of Smith’s apartment, officers found a large yellow plastic bag under the kitchen sink that contained “numerous bundles” of red wax bags, and white rice, police said.

Read more:   http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20130627/NEWS01/130629368/police-find-932-bags-of-heroin-in-apartment-of-parolee

Official: West Pottsgrove Murder Victim Was Shot In The Back

Location of West Pottsgrove Township in Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

WEST POTTSGROVE TOWNSHIP — In the day following the shocking murder of a 19-year-old taken by gunpoint from his West Pottsgrove home, who exactly that young man was remains a complicated question.

Kareem Ali Borowy died in the grass at the side of the 2100 block of Sanatoga Station Road Sunday around 2:30 p.m., not long after the abduction from the house on the 1200 block of Manatawny Street.

Montgomery County First Assistant District Attorney Kevin Steele said an autopsy conducted Monday morning determined Borowy died from a gunshot wound to the back.

The manner of death was ruled a homicide, he said.

Several readers told The Mercury that Kareem was the adopted son of Ruth Borowy, who reportedly adopted Kareem and his three siblings — two sisters and a brother — out of Philadelphia and brought them to the Boyertown area.

Read more:  http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20130506/NEWS01/130509526/official-west-pottsgrove-murder-victim-was-shot-in-the-back#full_story