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The operation targeted a "large-scale drug trafficking organization" based in and around Reading with alleged ties to "a Mexican cartel," said prosecutors.
Police said they began investigating individual dealers in early 2023 but sought court approval for electronic surveillance after they "determined that these individuals were part of an even larger organization."
That surveillance led to criminal charges for 29 people, of whom 11 remain at large, the DA's Office said.
Still wanted are:
- 54-year-old Rodrigo Marin-Betancourt, 468 Auburn Park, Selma, TX
- 36-year-old Angel Castillo-Cruz, 108 Walnut Street, Toms River, NJ
- 47-year-old Jose Lopez, 525 Moss Street, Reading
- 44-year-old Jeffrey Kanelos, 923 Buttonwood Street, Reading
- 34-year-old Moises Franco, 47 Crestmont Street, Reading
- 33-year-old Anthony Ridall, 196 Manbeck Road, Bernville
- 45-year-old Ramiro Gonzalez, 301 S. 8th Street, Reading
- 64-year-old Robert Quinter, 408 Walnut Street, Reading
- 37-year-old Jackson Baez-Colon, 3007 Marion Street, Reading
- 39-year-old Eliezer Ortiz 201 N. 8th Street, Reading
- 41-year-old Rahim Shakir Mathies, 55 Carroll Street, Reading
On Sept. 3, a traffic stop on I-78 in Berks County led to the seizure of nine kilograms of cocaine and a loaded gun, authorities said.
On Sept. 28, law enforcement raided a dozen properties in and around Reading:
- 553 N. Front Street, Reading, PA
- 403 Burnside Drive, Reading, PA
- 936 Hinnershitz Court, Reading, PA
- 1107 Independence Drive, West Lawn, PA
- 609 Avenue A, Reading, PA
- 221 W. Douglass Street, Reading, PA
- 115 S. 6th Street, Reading, PA
- 34 N. Wyomissing Avenue, Shillington, PA
- 55 Carroll Street, Reading, PA
- 1424 Monroe Street, Reading, PA
- 1161 N. 11th Street, Reading, PA
- 321 Constitution Way, Reading, PA
Prosecutors claimed they seized:
- Nine (9) kilograms of powder cocaine (smuggled from Mexico)
- 4,885 fake opioid pills of suspected fentanyl
- 48 grams of fentanyl
- 180 grams of crack cocaine
- 1,515 grams of powder cocaine
- 1,358 grams of methamphetamine
- 1,360 grams of marijuana
- 20 pounds of synthetic marijuana (K2)
- $68,349.00 Cash, U.S. Currency
- 10 handguns
- One rifle
Anyone with information on any of the 11 wanted suspects should call Berks County Detectives at 610-478-7171.
This bust comes on the heels of a drug bust that led to the arrests of 37 people from across Pennsylvania and Maryland using a stash house in York County. Click here to read that story.
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