YORK, Pa. -- Fifteen suspects from across Pennsylvania face multiple drug-related charges after officials said they sold heroin in York and Blair Counties worth $5 million.
State Attorney General Josh Shapiro said, "Make no mistake. You shut down a major pipeline like this. One that infected our community with 750,000 bags of heroin, that's going to have a positive impact on York and Blair County."
Shapiro said the heroin was transported from New York City, to York, to Altoona. The operation lasted about two years.
He said Wayne Davis, 36, and Lawrence Francis, 39, both of York, were the masterminds.
"They learned of monthly trips by Davis, Francis, and others to New York, where they would buy bricks of heroin and transport it back to first York and then Altoona for sale," he said.
Davis and Francis are now facing charges including corrupt organizations and delivery of a controlled substance.
Shapiro said some of the other suspects would also help spread the drugs out of New York City.
"They would fill that suitcase with poison, and she would bring it back to York and Blair County, and push that garbage out into our community," he said.
The investigation into the pipeline started off as routine. The help of a statewide investigating grand jury, along with county and state officials, led to the bust.
The York County District Attorney Tom Kearney said the county is a convenient area for drug dealers to come through.
"We are a crossroads here, and with the interstates coming in we are just what the general said: a pipeline," Kearney said.
Although this was a significant bust, Shapiro said it's not just about addressing the dealers. He wants to also take steps to help users get treatment within the state.
"We also have to be vigilant in making sure we're dealing with this, as I said before, in doctor's offices, in pharmaceutical companies and elsewhere," Shapiro said.