LEBANON, Pa. -- Admitting it was the biggest drug bust he's ever seen, Lebanon County District Attorney announced Wednesday the results of Operation Scorpion, which led to 11 people being arrested and the seizure of more than $500,000 in drugs, drug paraphernalia, and guns.
"They poisoned our community," Arnold said. "This was really a big organization and getting them is a significant blow to the drug community."
The Lebanon County Drug Task Force had been investigating local heroin rings for months, Arnold said. They used a previous heroin-related arrest to lead them to Jose Aviles, Sr., who Arnold said was running a "heroin mill" in Lebanon. According to Arnold, Aviles Sr. bragged at one point his heroin ring "owned northeast Philadelphia."
Over the course of a nine-month investigation, Aviles Sr., along with 10 other family members and workers, peddled an estimated 60,000 packets of cocaine per month out of their Arnold Street garage. They sold the heroin for anywhere between $6 and $10, making its way to Dauphin, Lancaster, and York counties. Aviles' drug ring sold approximately $2.5 million in drugs during the investigation, Arnold said.
"This is a significant amount of heroin," he said.
Others arrested in the drug raid are Julio Aviles, Jr., Michael Millan-Miranda, Geidy Arroyo, Isreal Nazario, Brent Moyer, Leandro Nazario, Suheidy Soto-Concepcion, Carlos Nazario, Brenda Soto, and Brittney Rivera.
District Attorney Arnold would not confirm if any of the heroin sold by Aviles' ring was connected to any heroin overdose deaths in the region, but added, "It would not be surprising to find out at some point they are related."
Arnold also admitted Operation Scorpion would not be a magic fix to end the region's heroin crisis, but hoped it send a powerful message to drug dealers across the area.
"Eventually, you will get caught," Arnold said. "They are going to arrest you, take your property, and put you in jail."
