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Police bust up alleged drug-trafficking ring in Berks-Lehigh counties

READING (WPMT)-Police seized over $2.2 million worth of heroin and methamphetamine when they busted up a drug ring Tuesday that was operating throughout ...
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Police bust up alleged drug-trafficking ring in Berks-Lehigh counties

READING (WPMT)-Police seized over $2.2 million worth of heroin and methamphetamine when they busted up a drug ring Tuesday that was operating throughout Berks and Lehigh counties, according to the Berks County District Attorney’s office.

Six people were arrested as a result of the investigation. Gabriel Colin-Lopez, 56, unknown address; Joan Abreu-Feliz, 32, of Reading; Carlos Morales-Javier, 22; of Reading; Carlos Javier, 29, of Reading; Carlos Cirilo-Garcia, 30, of Reading; Francisco Escobar-Ramos, 32, of Mexico, are each charged with possession, possession with intent to deliver, delivery of methamphetamine and criminal conspiracy.

The investigation began in July 2014 when detectives with the Berks County District Attorney’s office and the Allentown Police Department learned of a drug smuggling operation that was distributing bulk quantities of meth, cocaine and heroin throughout Berks and Lehigh counties, specifically in Reading and Allentown, according the court documents.

The drugs would be smuggled into the United States from Mexico and driven to Reading, where they would be broken down and distributed to others, investigators said.

Police said they learned the organization was going to be resupplied Tuesday in a parking lot near 11th and Richmond Streets in Reading.

Officers set up surveillance of the parking lot, and at approximately 3:07 p.m. detectives saw a tractor-trailer with California

Police bust up alleged drug-trafficking ring in Berks-Lehigh counties

registration pull in, followed buy a white Audi. A short time later a second car, a Honda, arrived in the lot and parked next to the Audi.

A man emerged from the tractor-trailer with two large duffel bags–and handed both bags over to the driver of the Audi and Honda, investigators said.

Officers quickly secured the scene and obtained search warrants for the Honda, Audi and tractor-trailer. Police searched the Audi and found one of the duffel bags, which contained 16 one-pound container of suspected methamphetamine and three bags containing kilograms of suspected heroin, according to the Berks County District Attorney’s office.

Investigators found seven additional one-pound bags of suspected methamphetamine inside the tractor-trailer.

Police bust up alleged drug-trafficking ring in Berks-Lehigh counties

Police estimate the street value of the drugs to be around $2.2 million.

A pat down of Gabriel Colin-Lopez revealed he was in possession of loaded gun in his waistband and an estimated $20,000 in cash inside his vest pocket, police said.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement told investigators that the tractor-trailer crossed the U.S.-Mexico border seven times since May 22, 2014–and most recently on March 4, 2015.

All six suspects were arrested and taken to the Berks County Jail in lieu of $1 million bail.

 

 

 

 

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