LANCASTER, Pa.-- More than 5,000 bags of fentanyl-laced heroin has been taken off the streets, according to Lancaster County's District Attorney’s Office.
“It was a pretty sophisticated operation that we were able to intercept," said Brett Hambright.
Last week, 21-year old Xiomara Fiigueroa and 19-year-old Kiomara Figueroa were arrested after they were stopped with the drugs driving from New Jersey on route 222 at the Denver Turnpike Exit.
The sisters were on their way back from picking up drugs for 26-year-old Antionio Rivera — and his girlfriend, 29-year-old Haydee Gomez of Lancaster County, who were planning to sell it.
“Fentanyl to be frank is what is killing the users in the county so to get 5,000 baggies, who knows that could have gone to hundreds of people in this county and we’ve seen fentanyl kill on almost a daily basis so it’s a really big get for us," said Brett Hambright with Lancaster County's District Attorney's Office.
At a $50,000 street value, and with deadly consequences, the district attorney’s office says there’s no telling how many lives could have been taken.
“I don’t think we’ve ever found this many packaged bundles all in one seizure before," said Hambright.
Kathleen Birmingham, who has been with Lancaster Freedom Center for over 30 years providing drug rehab services, says cracking down on distribution is a step to solving the heroin and fentanyl problem.
“It’s huge, it’s what is killing people," said Kathleen Birmingham, program director at Lancaster Freedom Center. “It’s not unusual for people coming into treatment to be doing a bundle of heroin a day.”
And the more we can get it off the streets, the better.
“It not only gets it off the streets, but it tells the people who are selling dope, that maybe selling dope isn’t a good idea," said Burmingham.
“It’s killing people almost daily, we have an average of about 5 overdose incidents in Lancaster County every day, and so many of them involve fentanyl, so that’s why we target it, why we go after it, and to have 4 dealers off the street and this much fentanyl off the street, it’s a safer place in Lancaster County and we’ll keep at it," added Hambright.
All 4 people involved have been charged with felony drug-dealing and conspiracy charges.
Rivera and Gomez are being held at Lancaster County Prison on $500,000 bail each.
Rivera is also being held by federal and state authorities for pervious probation and parole detainers.
The investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information regarding the distribution of the drugs is asked to contact police.
