OFF THE STREET
CHESTER COPS SEIZE CASH, DRUGS; MAN FACES CHARGES
Drugs, cash and a gun that was seized during an arrest by Chester Police narcotics unit.
CHESTER » City narcotics investigators had their eyes on an alleged drug dealer for a period of time, an investigation that led from the city to the suspect’s residence on Justice Square in neighboring Ridley Township.
“He seems like a nice guy, but who is involved in bad things,” Police Chief James Nolan IV said in announcing the arrest of Jamal B. Savage.
Savage, 28, of the 2000 block of Justice Square in the Woodlyn section of Ridley, was charged with drug and firearms offenses Wednesday, following a search of his home that netted nearly a kilo of cocaine, more than 100 bags of heroin, an SKS Sporter rifle with a scope, a ballistic vest, and a police scanner, among other evidence. Savage is being held at the county prison in lieu of posting $500,000 cash bail.
“We had been tracking him for a period of time,” Nolan said. “He was operating as a dealer in Chester, and the investigation led to Ridley.”
It was not immediately known if Savage had retained an attorney.
City Officer Marc Barag, working in his capacity as a member of the Delaware County Narcotics Task Force, was conducting a hidden surveillance on April 11 in the area of Savage’s residence in order to execute warrants for Savage and to search his residence.
It was about 2 p.m. when Barag saw a black Cadillac CTS park in the rear of the property. Savage exited from the driver’s position and used a key to enter the targeted residence, according to the probable cause affidavit, authored by Barag.
Within all of about six minutes, according to the affidavit, task force members converged on the house, armed with the search warrant. Inside, Savage was standing at the top of the stairs and detained; a woman and a small child were in the living room downstairs.
The affidavit described Savage as being escorted to the living room where he was read his Miranda Rights.
“After doing so, Savage stated anything found in the house was his,” the affidavit states.
When Barag asked Savage if there were any firearms in the house, Savage said there was a rifle in the closet outside, and he subsequently provided a key to the closet. A task force member “located in the closet an SKS Sporter 7.62-caliber rifle with scope … wrapped in a Mickey Mouse blanket inside of a Dirt Devil vacuum box,” the affidavit states.
According to the affidavit, Savage directed Barag to the kitchen where the officer found loose cocaine on a digital scale in an upper cabinet. Four pink glassine zip top bags of suspected crack cocaine were also found on the kitchen counter, on top of a box of unused blue wax paper sleeves commonly used in the distribution of heroin. Also found was a clear knotted sandwich bag containing cocaine.
“I asked Savage is there was cocaine anywhere else,” to which Savage responded to Barag, “Just keep checking the kitchen cabinets,” the affidavit states.
“Thousands” of additional unused packaging bags in various sizes and colors were found in a Husky trash bag, stored in a cabinet to the right of the kitchen sink.
“Underneath of the packaging were three clear sandwich bags filled with cocaine,” the affidavit states.
Found on the kitchen counter, next to the refrigerator, were the following items: a clear knotted sandwich bag containing cocaine; and a sandwich bag of rice also containing bundles of heroin.
Also found in the kitchen throughout the cabinets was an open box of sandwich bags; open box of Equate nitrile gloves; unopened box of Karlins Finest baking soda; a Baofeng police scanner set to Chester police frequency; an open box of white wax paper sleeves; a Hoppes gun cleaning kit; Weighman digital scale; rubber bands; and a Samsung cell phone with a cracked screen.
Four more cell phones were recovered from the master bedroom; a black ballistic vest was recovered from the downstairs coat closet; and various amounts of cash was found in a Crown Royal bag in a kitchen drawer. In addition a plastic bag behind a TV in a child’s bedroom.
According to the affidavit, a total of $27,771 in cash was recovered as a result of the search, as well as 432.5 grams of cocaine and 143 packages of heroin.
All the drugs were field tested, and the firearm was turned over to city Officer Jeffrey Linowski for further examination.
As a convicted felon, Savage is prohibited from owing the gun, the affidavit states.
Charges filed against Savage include possession of a weapon, possession of a firearm prohibited, and two counts each of drug possession, possession with the intent to manufacture or deliver, and use/ possession of drug paraphernalia. A preliminary hearing is listed for April 24 before Magisterial District Judge Walter “Sonny” Strohl, whose court in the Lima section of Middletown is designated as the drug court for the majority of county cases.
According to online court records, Savage’s criminal history includes drug and firearms offenses.
City officers Matthew Donohue and Timothy Garron, who are also assigned to the drug task force, were among those assisting in the investigation.