By Amanda O'Rourke
SUNBURY -- Nineteen people were arrested Thursday and one remains at large following a street-level drug sweep in Northumberland and Snyder counties.
State Attorney General Tom Corbett said in a statement that the operation was part of an investigation into street-level distribution of marijuana and heroin in those counties.
"They're basically people who are using drugs and selling drugs to feed their habits," Northumberland County District Attorney Anthony Rosini said.
Charged in the sweep were Selinsgrove residents Joseph Sikoskie, 27; Jeremy Greenaway, 26; Cory Trawitz, 20; Karl Cuthbert, 27; and Rebecca Dellanoce, 22; and Sunbury residents Brian Betz, 20; Michael Buckles, 22; Denise Easton, 51; Chris Malia, 34; George Kee, 26; Natasha Snyder, 19; and Michael Perry, 19.
Also charged were Alan Egli Jr., 19, of New Berlin; Sherri Warren, 23, of Watsontown; Christopher Amadeo, 21, of Northumberland, Ashley Ford, 22, of Port Trevorton; and James Marius, 41, of Lewisburg.
Gilbert Mister, 31, of Selinsgrove, was still at large Thursday afternoon.
All of the charges involved the sale, delivery and possession of marijuana, heroin and prescription medications, specifically, Oxycontin, a prescription painkiller, and Methadone, a drug commonly used to treat drug dependence.
Two search warrants also were issued as a result of the sweep, one of which led to the arrests of Jamilah Franklin, 33, and Krystian Godek, 26, both of Sunbury, who were picked up by Sunbury police and found to be in possession of 80 Ecstasy pills and about 12 ounces of marijuana.
"This type of drug dealer directly affects our quality of life," Rosini said. "They tend to commit crimes to feed their habit to obtain the drugs they crave."
The Northumberland-Montour Drug Task Force conducts several drug sweeps each year, netting anywhere from 10 to 40 suspects at a time. Despite authorities' efforts, Rosini could not say whether drug use or related, periphery crimes are decreasing.
"We have been able to keep it down to at least a manageable level," he said.
At least two of those charged in the sweep already are incarcerated at Northumberland County Prison: Amadeo, on felony rape charges, and Buckles, on felony statutory rape charges.
More than 50 law enforcement officers from Sunbury, Northumberland, Point Township, Mount Carmel, Selinsgrove, Shamokin Dam and Middleburg participated in the sweep, along with personnel from Northumberland and Snyder counties, state parole agents and constables Larry Rompallo and Butch Showers.
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