500 BAGS OF HEROIN OFF STREET Page 3
UPPER DARBY COPS ARREST MAN, SEIZE CACHE OF DRUGS IN CAR STOP
Some of the drugs and cash seized by Upper Darby police during recent arrest.
UPPER DARBY >> A car stop spiraled into a drug investigation, which resulted in the confiscation of more than 500 packages of heroin and the arrest of a township man on drug delivery charges for the second time in two months.
Blake V. Kolumber, 29, of the 200 block of Beverly Boulevard, was already awaiting trial on charges stemming from a Jan. 6, 2017, arrest for allegedly selling heroin to an undercover officer when he was busted again in Upper Darby last week. He’s currently behind bars at the county prison, in lieu of posting $50,000 cash bail.
According to allegations in the January case, Kolumber allegedly sold heroin to an undercover Springfield officer assigned to the Delaware County Drug Task Force. The transactions occurred in Upper Darby and Clifton Heights and charges against Kolumber included four counts each of possession with the intent to manufacture or deliver, drug possession and possession of drug paraphernalia. Bail in the case was set at 10 percent of $100,000, which Kolumber posted on Jan. 25.
Last Thursday night, it was a non-functioning headlight on the front of a black, older-model Cadillac that caught the attention of Upper Darby officers Michael Taylor and Louis Garay of the township police Tactical Narcotics Team. The officers stopped the vehicle in the area of Beverly Boulevard and Garrett Road on Feb. 23 about 8 p.m. Kolumber was alone in the car, according to Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood.
“A front headlight was out,” Chitwood said, adding that the officers also found the vehicle registration was expired.
As they walked toward the vehicle, Chitwood said, “Taylor and Gary see (Kolumber) putting something in his sock. They grab him and find 27 bags of heroin in the sock.”
According to Chitwood, Kolumber was placed under arrest and the heroin, $309 cash and two cell phones were confiscated as evidence.
“This guy has one open case selling heroin in the county,” Chitwood said, referring to the Jan. 6 arrest.
The latest charges filed against Kolumber include two counts each of possession with the intent to deliver or manufacture drugs, drug possession and possession of drug paraphernalia, along with driving with a suspended vehicle registration and no headlights, according to online court records.
Following last week’s car stop, Chitwood said investigators obtained a warrant to search Kolumber’s apartment on Beverly Boulevard that same night. Investigators arrived at the apartment about 10 p.m.
“They find an additional 488 bags of heroin,” he said, noting the drugs were found in a bedroom closet.
Describing Kolumber’s residence “a stash house,” Chitwood said, “You could see just by the way he was living.”
Also confiscated from the apartment was $617.
“He’s certainly a drug dealer,” Chitwood said.
According to online court records, Kolumber was held for court on all charges in the Jan. 6 arrest following a preliminary hearing, which was held on Jan. 19 in Magisterial District Judge Nicholas S. Lippincott’s court in Upper Providence. As of Feb. 16, he was awaiting a trial date in that case.
Kolumber is listed to appear for a preliminary hearing on the latest offenses on March 9, again in Lippincott’s court.
Attorney William Davis Jr. is representing Kolumber in both cases.
“Before these two cases, he has never been in trouble before in his life. He has a loving mother and brother who care for him. Right now, he’s innocent until proven guilty and we are looking forward to his day in court,” Monday.
According to Chitwood, the investigation against Kolumber remains open.
Chitwood praised Taylor and Garay for their efforts, along with members of the narcotics unit who assisted in the search. If Kolumber is convicted, the superintendent intimated his idea of justice.
“Hopefully, we’ll see him in 10 years,” Chitwood said. Davis said