MOUNT CARMEL - One of the leaders of a drug task force said major busts like the one conducted Friday in Northumberland County improve the quality of life in communities by ridding the streets - at least temporarily - of illegal drug users and suppliers.
They also keep suspects off balance, and send a message that police are determined to fight the ongoing narcotics war plaguing the area, state and nation.
Despite the drawbacks, such benefits make the effort worthwhile, said Todd Owens, Mount Carmel police chief and field supervisor for the Northumberland-Montour Drug Task, which conducted Friday's raid in which some 90 people were targeted.
"We try to peel away layers of the organization responsible for selling and using drugs," he said. "We want to disrupt or dismantle the hierarchy of the organization. Our goal is to move up the ladder and get the bigger fish."
He said the large-scale busts give the task force "maximum impact" on the drug problem plaguing the communities.
Owens explained that manpower, funding, day-to-day police operations in each community and the enormous amount of paperwork play a factor in determining when and how many drug busts are performed each year.
The police chief, who has been involved in drug investigations for 20 years, said funding cuts in the drug task force in recent years have limited available resources to conduct raids. Friday's raid was the first one performed this year by the task force.
He said funding for the task force primarily comes from the state Attorney General's Office and assets forfeited in drug raids.
To the prison
Friday's raid raised concerns about overcrowded conditions at the county prison, which saw its population soar to a year-high of 284 after 32 prisoners were committed on the day of the bust. The day before the bust, the population was 252.
The count on the day of the bust was the highest since Warden Roy Johnson took over in July 2009, he said.
Johnson said by Wednesday the population had dropped to 271.
He admitted there was some concern about the prison population on Friday. While the facility has 310 beds, not all are available because some inmates must be housed in solitary confinement or single cells due to behavioral and medical problems. With that, the prison was down to just one or two available beds.
In an effort to better control the large population, the warden said a part-time correctional officer was added to each shift. Johnson said it was much cheaper to do that - $350 to $400 per day - than pay $75 per day per prisoner to house them at other county jails.
He said an extra officer per shift will remain in effect until the population decreases to a "reasonable" level.
Johnson said the majority of defendants charged in the raid were placed in cells, while some of those already incarcerated were moved to dormitory-type facilities.
Back out
As of Tuesday, 30 of the 40 defendants wanted on warrants for drug offenses committed mostly in the Mount Carmel area were taken into custody, while 10 remained at large. Owens said he didn't have an update as of mid-day Wednesday.
Most of the men and women charged in the bust in Magisterial District Judge Hugh Jones' jurisdiction were committed to prison in lieu of bail. Preliminary hearings for the drug defendants began Wednesday and continue today before Jones.
On Wednesday, eight defendants waived their cases to county court, meaning they can later plead guilty or no contest, or seek a trial by pleading not guilty.
Of those eight, four were already out on unsecured bail. Three others posted bail after their hearings, and the other defendant was returned to prison.
All 12 defendants arraigned by Magisterial District Judge John Gembic III on Friday and Monday were incarcerated after failing to post bail. Five of the suspects had not yet been apprehended as of Tuesday. Preliminary hearings for the drug defendants scheduled for Tuesday before Gembic were all continued.
Johnson noted that the prison releases inmates at the court's order, but he has no record of which ones released since last Friday were part of the drug bust.
Undercover operations
Owens said the task force works under different parameters than what most people think of as normal police work.
"Sometimes, we have to arrest people for drugs more quickly because they pose an imminent risk to the community," he said. "Other times, the investigations take longer because we are after major suppliers rather than individual users or small-time suppliers."
Owens said those apprehended in the latest round of arrests were a mixture of individual users and "bigger fish."
Owens said informants and undercover officers were used in the investigations that culminated in Friday's bust. Some of the investigations dated back for nearly a year, according to District Attorney Tony Rosini, who said the busts help improve the quality of life for county residents and send a message that drug sellers will be held accountable.
Prescription problem
Owens said many of the drugs involved in Friday's raid were prescription medications, which he said can be just as harmful as crack cocaine or heroin when people become addicted to them.
"The general public believes diverted pharmaceuticals are not as bad as some other drugs because they are prescribed by doctors, but they can be just as dangerous," Owens said. "Drug users believe there is a pill for everything. When pharmaceuticals are sold as a commodity, health care costs are affected. So you can say everyone is affected by drug abuse in one way or another."
Owens said poor economic conditions also add to the drug problem because defendants often commit other crimes like theft, burglary and assault to obtain drugs to support their addiction.
He noted that drug defendants who are convicted jeopardize all or part of their federal housing subsidies.
Owens also praised the work of task force members.
"Task force officers are very committed to eradicating the drug problem in our county," he said. "Some even volunteer their time because they realize their municipalities don't have the financial resources to combat the drug problem."