Souderton police involved in drug task force arrests
Not only was Souderton Borough Police Department actively involved in a drug task force that last week arrested more than a dozen people accused of illegally distributing synthetic marijuana and drug paraphernalia, but it also KDG DQ RIfiFHU wKR wDV DVVLJQHG VSHFLfiFDOOy WR spend time watching and learning.
“He gathered extremely important contacts and he saw how it was done,” Souderton Borough police Chief James Leary told Souderton Borough Council at the board’s Sept. 10 public works work session.
Montgomery and Lehigh counties were the primary marketplace for the ring taken down by “Operation Bowls, Bongs and Beyond,” but those arrested came from Montgomery, Lehigh, Berks and Northampton counties and “it actually spanned the tri-state area,” Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman said after the arrests.
“Quite a bit” of the merchandise came to the Indian Valley area, Leary said.
The arrests included the owners of convenience stores in Upper Perkiomen, Schwenksville and Upper Frederick.
“It was a really, really incredible example of what a task force can do,” Leary said.
During the investigation, D fiFWLWLRuV EuVLQHVV wDV set up in Souderton with investigators posing as shop owners who wanted to buy merchandise sold by J & L Wholesale Distributors, an Allentown warehouse, and J & L’s “Insense Specailties” subsidiary.
TKH fiFWLWLRuV EuVLQHVV was a mailbox only and did not bring criminals into town, Leary said.
Synthetic marijuana continues to be a concern, he said.
“We’re aggressively attacking it,” Leary said.
He also joined other investigators in decrying the packaging of the products, including “Scooby Snax potpourri,” that investigators say was clearly aimed at appealing to young people.
Journal Register staff writer Carl Hessler contributed to this article.