SUNBURY - Three more individuals have been arrested as the investigation into a marijuana distribution system involving packages sent to Sunbury from Texas for pickup and distribution, the latest taking over $100,000 worth of marijuana off the streets.
Northumberland County District Attorney Tony Rosini announced Wednesday that three search warrants were executed in Sunbury earlier this week by members of the Northumberland/Montour Drug Task Force along with agents of the Williamsport office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Officers learned that packages of marijuana weighing between 10 to 15 pounds, were being shipped to the Sunbury area from Brownsville, Texas using the "dead drop" method, sending them to addresses belonging to unsuspecting addresses. They were later being obtained by Ricardo Garza, 31, who lists his address as Brownsville, Texas.
Through a cooperative effort between local police, the FBI, the United States Postal Service and the UPS shipping company, officers were able to locate a package of marijuana which was shipped to Sunbury from Brownsville, Texas. Using surveillance and information provided by a confidential informant, officers learned the package contained approximately 15 pounds of marijuana and was delivered to the 800 block of North Fifth Street, Sunbury.
Members of local police departments and the drug task force worked diligently over the past two days to determine where the package was delivered and tracked the distribution of the marijuana after its delivery.
On Monday, officers arrested Garza on Route 61 outside of Sunbury, after he had allegedly delivered five pounds of marijuana to another individual. After his arrest, Garza was discovered to be in possession of another half pound of marijuana, delivering the goods on his bicycle, which was also seized by the police.
He was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge John Gembic III, of Shamokin, and committed to Northumberland County Prison on $50,000 bail.
Gembic then authorized a search warrant for the residence in the 800 block of North Fifth Street, Sunbury, where officers recovered another 6 1/2 pounds of marijuana and the package in which the drug was delivered from Texas.
Information uncovered during Garza's arrest and the execution of the original search warrant led officers to obtain and execute two additional search warrants on Tuesday, authorized by Northumberland County President Judge Robert Sacavage. for residences in the 300 block of South Fourth Street and the 100 block of North Fifth Street, While executing the warrants, an additional two pounds of marijuana were found.
To date, task force officers have recovered 14 pounds of the 15-pound shipment. The suspects were selling ounces of this particular type of marijuana for $450 per ounce, giving the shipment a street value of $108,000.
As of Wednesday morning, officers have arrested Jose Soto, 35, and Kaleigh Bingaman, 23, both of Sunbury, for their involvement in the distribution of the marijuana. Additional arrests are pending and the investigation into the distribution network is ongoing.
Rosini commended officers Wade Lytle of the Point Township Police Department and Steven Bennick of the Sunbury Police Department for their excellent work in tracking down the information and obtaining most of the drugs before they were distributed in the community. The district attorney also thanked the Williamsport office of the FBI for their assistance and task force co-coordinator Todd Owens, of the Mount Carmel Borough Police Department, who also participated in the investigation.
The arrests bring the total of police charged in connection with the investigation up to 16, including Michael Angstadt, of Sunbury, who has been identified as the kingpin of the operation, and former Sunbury part-time police officer Christopher Chilcote.