32 arrested in connection to $4.6M drug ring, release says

HUNTINGDON COUNTY, Pa. (WJAC) — The Huntingdon County District Attorney’s office announced Tuesday in a press release the arrest of 32 suspects involved in two extensive drug rings operating in Huntingdon County.

The release said the arrests come after a lengthy and complex investigation with collaboration among the Pennsylvania State Police, the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, and the Huntingdon County Drug Task Force.

“Good, solid law enforcement cooperation between my Drug Strike Force and Huntingdon County District Attorney Dave Smith and the Pennsylvania State Police led to these arrests and criminal charges filed today. The dealers who brought drugs into the neighborhoods of Huntingdon County from Pittsburgh and Philadelphia will be held accountable,” attorney Josh Shapiro said. “To the good people of Huntingdon County – we have heard you and acted together to protect your community.”

According to District Attorney Dave Smith, the two organizations were based in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, with local residents providing the upper-level drug dealers places to set up shop, through the use of their homes to sell and distribute primarily crack cocaine and heroin.

“By utilizing the resources of the Attorney General’s Office, through the Forty-Third Investigating Grand Jury, we were able to get a good idea of the history of the drug rings, identify those individuals involved, how they operated in our county, as well as gain an understanding of the volume of drugs that were brought into the county,” Smith said. “We are grateful for the support of the Attorney General’s Office for getting this case before the Grand Jury. Huntingdon County would not have been able to sustain an investigation of this magnitude without their assistance.”

He said the drugs brought into the county by the two groups had an estimated value of more than $4.6 million.

The release said many of the local residents were addicts themselves and would deal for the out-of-town drug dealers in order to supply their own habits.

Many of the same local residents would also trade guns that they stole, or were in possession of, for the crack cocaine and/or heroin, the release said.

Members of the Pennsylvania State Police, Pennsylvania Game Commission, Huntingdon Borough Police Department, Mount Union Borough Police Department, Huntingdon County Drug Task Force, Huntingdon County Sheriff’s Department, and agents from the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General participated in the raid and arrest of the 32 individuals.

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