READING, Pa. (WTXF) - More than a dozen drug suspects are under arrest in connection with a drug operation in Berks County that's being called Operation Antidote.
District Attorney John T. Adams called the 16 suspects "mid-level individuals" and charged them with various crimes, including delivery of controlled substances. Adams said those drugs included heroin, cocaine, marijuana and prescription drugs.
The investigation started in January, 2014, and undercover detectives say they bought drugs with street values ranging from $40 to $1700 from the suspects.
First, the investigation centered around Jose Camacho Jr., but "other suspects were developed" and the Pennsylvania Superior Court let Adams use "non-consensual wire and electronic interception" of the suspects' cell phones as the primary tool in the investigation.
The wiretap began in April, 2016, and detectives listened for about two months.
By the numbers, detectives identified 16 "active members of the organization" who "face a substantial period of incarceration" and fines of more than $100,000, and 26 suspected customers.
They executed 14 search warrants, most in Reading, and seized "substantial amounts of heroin, cocaine and marijuana with a street value of $30,000," cutting agents, drug-related paraphernalia associated with the distribution of controlled substances, more than $20,000 in cash, 16 guns and ammunition, various electronic equipment, and 12 vehicles.