Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
DOZENS BUSTED IN DRUG CRACKDOWN
Investigation finds heroin, opioids readily available throughout Chester County
WEST CHESTER » Law enforcement authorities Tuesday announced the completion of a blitzkrieg-like investigation into the presence of heroin and opioids on the streets of Chester County, finding the drugs readily available in all forms across the county.
“Operation Wildfire,” as it was dubbed, resulted in the arrests of more than 40 drug dealers peddling the substances that have fueled an epidemic of addiction and death, said District Attorney Thomas Hogan at a press conference announcing the investigation.
“Heroin and opioids have been a wildfire ripping through Pennsylvania and the United States, killing our kids,” Hogan said in the library of his office in the county Justice Center, backed by police chiefs involved in the operation. “Sometimes you have to start a wildfire to stop a
wildfire. We wanted to stop them in their tracks. We also wanted a snapshot in time of what Chester County looks like right now in terms of heroin and opioids.”
Hogan said 2016 had been a “catastrophe” for the southeastern Pennsylvania region when it came to overdoses linked to heroin and opioids. In Chester County, numbers rose from 60 overdose deaths in 2015 to 97 in 2016. He said the first four months of the year had seen 50 such deaths – a rate that would put the county on pace for 150 fatalities.
Many of those overdose deaths involved the presence of fentanyl, the “killer” additive to heroin that is used by many narcotic suppliers and craved by some addicts as a “super high.” Its lethal properties are well-known in the drug community.
“One dealer said, ‘Be careful with this batch – it can kill you,’” Hogan noted
The operation involved
the Chester County Detectives Drug Unit, as well an officer from each of six municipal departments — Downingtown, Oxford, Parkesburg, Phoenixville, Spring City, and Tredyffrin. The investigators worked for approximately eight weeks – six of which were on the street – and made 46 arrests.
“Take a look at these dealers,” said Hogan as a slide containing pictures of more than two dozen of the arrestees was displayed. “They are white, they are black, they are brown. They are every race and background. They are young, they are old.” He also said that the officers had no trouble finding and arresting dealers in every section of the county — west, east, south, north and central. “We could buy heroin and opioids in every part of Chester County.” Many of those arrested were users themselves, he added,
The investigators confiscated amounts of heroin, as well as prescription opioids. Hogan said he was uncertain what percentage of the confiscated drug contained fentanyl because samples must be sent to a laboratory for testing, as it is too dangerous to be done by officers in the field. “They could overdose and die,” Hogan said.
As an example, Hogan took out a common salt shaker and put a few grains on his hand, symbolizing the amount that could sicken someone coming into contact with the substance.
He said that the prescription drugs included common opioids such as Oxycodone and morphine, but also the drug Suboxone, which is used to combat the sickness involved with heroin use and withdrawal. “They will sell you what you need not to get sick afterwards. These dealers are a full-service pharmacy,” he added.
Hogan said the investigation showed that the majority of the narcotics came to the county from Philadelphia, with some surfacing in southern Chester County from Wilmington, Delaware. He suggested that the amount of heroin used by addicts had spiraled upwards as doctors have begun scaling back on prescribing opioids to patients. But the epidemic started when opioid users like young people began using heroin as a cheap substitute, and likely will still last perhaps seven more years even as prescription drug use declines.
“This is not something we will turn around quickly,” said Hogan. “The only way we can survive this is by working together.”
Speaking after Hogan were some of the police
chiefs involved, starting with Chief Detective Kevin Dykes, who praised the municipal departments for coming on board. “We are fighting an epidemic that we cannot do alone,” he said.
“I couldn’t say yes fast enough,” said Phoenixville Chief Thomas Sjostrom of his reaction when asked by Hogan to commit resources to the Operation Wildfire effort. “We may have only scratched the surface, but our common efforts will continue.”
Echoing the sentiment that the fight against heroin and opioid suppliers must continue was Joseph Glatts, acting chief in Tredyffrin. “This is just the tip of the iceberg. The heroin epidemic is everywhere,” he said. “The only thing we can do is to keep fighting against it.”
Other chiefs at the press conference were Spring City’s Anthony Kulkinski, Downingtown’s Howard Holland. Also attending was Downingtown Sgt. Walter Powell.
To contact staff writer Michael P. Rellahan call 610-696-1544.