Major Montgomery Co. Drug Trafficking Ring Dismantled: DA

NORRISTOWN, PA — Eight leaders of a major drug trafficking operation that sold heroin, cocaine, and other illegal drugs across the region have been arrested, authorities announced Friday.

The arrests came as the result of an extensive wiretap investigation of Montgomery County Correctional Facility and the Pennsylvania state prison system, the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office said.

Dealers used code words, street names for drugs, and nicknames for fellow dealers to hide their business from authorities monitorig their calls, a criminal complaint states.

The ring operated in Philadelphia, Montgomery, Chester, and Berks counties. At the center of it all was George King, 50, of Philadelphia, a large-scale dealer who was being supplied by Foster B. Moore, 47, and Richard Rivera, 42, also Philadelphia residents, according to the DA.

Five of King's "lieutenants" were arrested as well: Norristown's Jeron Boggs, 28, Marcellus Bowie Sr., 49, John King, 54, and Romelle McClellan, 29, alongside Larry Baird Jr., 60, of Phoenixville.

Wiretapped conversations revealed the organization's disturbing views of the world of addiction. In one recorded conversation, Boggs described how a relative of one of his customers accused him of enabling addiction. Boggs justified it by saying it's the same as selling twinkies to an obese person, the complaint states.

During another conversation, dealers discuss a conversation they had with customers who were developing a tolerance for heroin. "Next for you is straight fetty," Boggs said he told the customers, a reference to the lethal fentanyl, according to the complaint.

Following up on suspicions based on calls recorded to and from the prison, authorities obtained warrants to tap the lines of several suspects and ultimately conduct controlled buys, leading to the arrests.

Bail was set at $500,000 for King and Rivera, $250,000 for Boggs, $150,000 for Bowie and McClellan, and $1000,000 for Baird and John King. Bowie, McClellan, and Moore posted bail, while the other five suspects were unable to post bail and were remanded to Montgomery County Correctional Facility. A preliminary hearing is set for Nov. 16.

Image via Montgomery County District Attorney's Office