Dozens Arrested As 3-County Philadelphia Area Cocaine Ring Is Busted
NORRISTOWN, Pa. (CBS) - More than two dozen people are under arrest in Montgomery County, Pa. in connection with what authorities say was a major cocaine distribution ring operating in two counties and the city of Philadelphia.
Law enforcement authorities executed raids last month on more than twenty locations in three counties, seizing more than four pounds of cocaine worth more than $200, 000, plus more than $76,000 in cash, 12 firearms, a bulletproof vest, cars, a powerboat, and drug paraphernalia.
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The main target, according to Montgomery County district attorney Risa Ferman, was Anthony Dennis of Philadelphia, who operated the "Heads Up" barbershop in Tredyffrin, Chester County.
"(Investigators) had reason to believe there was very little actual business going on in that location," Ferman says. "Rather, that was the hub of a significant cocaine trafficking operation."
Police say Dennis and his brother Michael, of Montgomery Township, supplied cocaine to others throughout the Philadelphia area.
The investigation began in late 2008 but didn't really start to heat up until the spring of this year. Ferman says police used extensive wiretaps to break up the drug ring.
Tredyffrin police superintendent Andrew Chambers hopes the dismantling of this ring sends a clear message.
"There is a significant feeling that we are coming after drug dealers and it's our families and your community that we need to keep safe," he said.
See Montco DA's full list of those arrested
Reported by Brad Segall, KYW Newsradio 1060
