LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — The Lancaster County Drug Task Force is under investigation for the theft of $150,000.
The investigation was announced today at a press conference with the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office as a part of a review of the Drug Task Force.
The review began in mid January and came with adjustments in March with the appointment of a new Officer in Charge of the Drug Task Force.
During that appointment, it was found on April 20 that approximately $150,000 in seized cash is currently considered unaccounted for.
Those funds were seized in drug investigations that resulted in criminal charges, according to the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office.
Those funds would have reportedly been kept in a secured area at Drug Task Force headquarters.
On April 23, an audit of cash was completed, and on April 24, Lancaster County District Attorney Heather Adams contacted the Attorney General's Office.
The Lancaster County District Attorney says the funds appear to have been seized during less than a dozen drug investigations that all occurred in 2019 or prior.
The missing funds are not expected to significantly impact prosecutions, and the Lancaster County District Attorney has referred the investigation to the state Attorney General's Office.
As a result of the investigation, seized funds will now be held in a bank account and deposited on a regular basis.
Adams also says that there has been a complete revamping of how the Drug Task Force stores, logs, transfers, and destroys evidence.
“I am confident that with these ongoing changes in procedures, along with strong leadership and personnel – and a solidified long-term funding model – this can be the most effective Drug Task Force Lancaster County has ever had,” DA Adams said.
“We aim to be a valuable partner in a national network of police officers devoting their careers to ridding neighborhoods of drug traffickers.”
