Locals charged in drug ring bust
NORRISTOWN » An Upper Dublin Township woman and a Montgomery Township man are behind bars, accused of being leaders of a multi-state methamphetamine and marijuana trafficking ring that used the U.S. Postal Service to carry out the drug crimes.
Lorraine Yvonne Zeno, 36, of the 600 block of Ardross Avenue, Upper Dublin, and Brian Justin Holt, 42, of the 600 block of North Redwood Court, Montgomery Township, each face charges of corrupt organizations, manufacture, delivery or possession of methamphetamine, dealing in proceeds of unlawful activity and criminal use of a communication
facility in connection with alleged incidents that occurred between April 2016 and November 2017.
Holt, who also once lived along Annasmead Road in Lower Gwynedd Township, also faces a charge of person not to possess a firearm.
Zeno and Holt were arraigned before District Court Judge Patricia Zaffarano,
who set bail for each at $500,000 cash, which they were unable to post, and they remain at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility while awaiting their preliminary hearings on the charges later this month.
Zeno and Holt, authorities alleged, were part of “The Big Five” allegedly involved in the trafficking ring. Three others from California, Leonardo Christian Fernandez, 34, Joel Travis Hills-Garcia, 29, and Patrick M. Fry, 43, also were charged in connection with the drug ring, according to court documents.
District Attorney Kevin R. Steele alleged members of the drug trafficking organization mailed packages of crystal methamphetamine and marijuana, using the U.S. Postal Service, from California to Zeno and Holt in Montgomery County since at least April 2016.
During the joint investigation that involved law enforcement from Pennsylvania, California and New Jersey, authorities identified more than 350 pounds of crystal methamphetamine and marijuana that was sent in multiple shipments, according to court documents. Investigators shut down the organization
operating in Pennsylvania and worked their way back to the alleged suppliers in California, according to Steele.
“This investigation again illustrates that law enforcement is united in our fight against deadly drugs of all kinds – heroin, opioids, fentanyl, methamphetamine and pills,” Steele said Wednesday. “All of this poison is killing residents of Montgomery County and other communities in the region and those that traffic this poison need to realize it’s not worth it because we are going to keep investigating, arresting and holding accountable those responsible.”
Steele noted there has been an increase in methamphetamine trafficking as well as deaths caused by the drug. According to Steele, there were eight overdose deaths from methamphetamine in Montgomery County during 2016. However, Steele added that according to the latest report by the county coroner, there were 19 methamphetamine overdose deaths during the first three-quarters of 2017 – a 316 percent increase over 2016.
“Meth is making a resurgence. We are seeing an upswing in methamphetamine dealing, usage
and overdose deaths here in Montgomery County, which mirrors the rest of the country,” Steele said. “Meth is deadly and cheap. And it is flowing into Montgomery County from California, in this case using the U.S. Postal Service and other carriers.
“Drug traffickers make the false assumption that using the mail or hiding drugs in car batteries will keep them safe from detection. They are wrong and we are on to them,” Steele added.
The investigation began in 2016 when the U.S. Postal Inspection Service identified and intercepted a suspicious parcel being shipped from California to Montgomery County, according to court documents. Investigators alleged the parcel contained about one pound of crystal meth.
Investigators subsequently uncovered crosscountry shipments of alleged bulk quantities of methamphetamine and marijuana to members of the Zeno and Holt drug trafficking organization. Authorities alleged the shipments received were then sold to other drug dealers and individuals in Montgomery and Bucks counties and Philadelphia.
The corrupt organization
allegedly headed by Zeno and Holt then sent the illegal proceeds for the drugs to those allegedly involved in California, according to the criminal complaint.
The investigation, Steele said, involved the use of court-authorized wiretaps on the phones of Zeno, Holt and Fernandez, which helped identify the alleged California suppliers.
Investigators also learned the identities of Zeno and Holt’s methamphetamine customers, some of whom also distributed the drug and assisted Zeno and Holt with receiving the drugs at locations referred to as “work sites,” according to the arrest affidavit.
“Once we arrested Holt, we assisted many other law enforcement agencies in holding ‘The Big Five’ and their nationwide narco-trafficking organization criminally accountable,” said Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub, adding it was a “great team effort” by law enforcement. “Bottom line: crystal meth, marijuana and the mail don’t mix.”
Prosecutors Robert Kolansky and Samantha Thompson are handling the cases against Zeno and Holt.