11 Pounds Of Meth, Fentanyl, Guns Seized In Major Berks County Drug Bust: DA

Three Reading men were arrested in a major drug bust that turned up 11 pounds of methamphetamine, eight pounds of fentanyl, multiple loaded firearms, and more, authorities said.

Selwyn Alcais-Garica, Rashan Brinkley, and Marcial Cooper have been arrested in a major drug bust.
Photo Credit: *Berks County District Attorney's Office*

Cecilia Levine

09/16/2024 12:28 p.m.

Selwyn Alcais-Garica, Rashan Brinkley, and Marcial Cooper are all facing a slew of charges following search warrants executed across Reading, leading to the evidential seizures, the Berks County DA's Office announced Monday, Sept. 16.

Warrants were executed at 1423 Birch st. in Reading;1615 N.10th St. in Reading; 662 Tulpehocken Street in Reading and 501 Emerson Ave. in Laureldale.

Authorities seized 2.4 pounds of crack cocaine, 6.75 pounds of powdered cocaine, 11 pounds of methamphetamine, 8 pounds of fentanyl, drug paraphernalia including digital scales and packaging, one Mossberg MC2SC 9mm handgun with a loaded magazine, one Smith and Wesson M&P-15 with a loaded magazine, one Glock 31 Gen 4 .357 with a loaded magazine, three extended 9mm magazines, large stock of ammunition, and over $4,000 in U.S. Currency.

The Berks County District Attorney’s Drug Task Force launched an investigation into the drug trafficking operation last April, which identified Alcala-Garcia, Brikley, and Cooper as large-scale distributors of methamphetamine and fentanyl, a spokesperson for the DA's office said.

"Detectives made numerous undercover purchases in conjunction with intensive surveillance to identify the defendants and stash locations," reads a press release distributed Monday, Sept. 16.." As a result of this investigation, sealed search warrants were obtained from a Berks County Court of Common Pleas Judge."

The search warrants were served by the Berks County Drug Task Force, Pennsylvania State Police, Reading Police Department and Berks County Sheriffs on Sept. 12, which turned up the aforementioned evidence.

The total street value of the drugs is estimated to be more than 1.2 million dollars, police said.

The defendants were taken to the Berks County Sheriff’s Central Processing Center where they were processed and arraigned. Bail was set at $1 million for all three defendants by Magisterial District Justice Kyley Scott. All three are being held at Berks County Jail.

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