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NEWS
[ Friday, March 18, 1994 ]

Cocaine, heroin confiscated by state drug investigators

Collegian Staff Writer

State drug investigators confiscated record-breaking amounts of cocaine and heroin during periodic checks late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning at the Bestway Truck Plaza in Boggs Township.

Five agents from the state's Office of Attorney General Bureau of Narcotics Investigation and Drug Control seized about 1.5 kilograms of cocaine and 47 grams of heroin during two separate searches of Greyhound buses. They also confiscated $47,490 in unclaimed cash.

The cocaine's total street value -- between $500,000 and $1 million -- makes it the largest single cocaine seizure in Centre County history, said Charles Gahagan, federal director of the agency's Region IV Strike Force, located in State College.

The heroin, wrapped in 47 separate plastic bags, has a street value of about $15,000, he said.

"I don't know of any other heroin being seized in Centre County," Gahagan said of the discovery.

No one has been arrested yet in connection with the drug seizures, but officials do have several suspects, he said.

"We are continuing the investigation to tie the drugs and money to particular people," he said.

Officials do not believe the final destination of the drugs was Centre County because the buses were only making brief stops at the truck plaza.

One bus was going from Columbus, Ohio to New York City, and the other was en route to Columbus from New York City, Gahagan said, adding that the two incidents were unrelated.

Agents boarded the buses Tuesday night and asked passengers to claim their luggage. Any unclaimed luggage was assumed to be abandoned property and taken out of the buses, Gahagan said, adding that a state police drug dog detected drugs in the seized packages.

The agency periodically checks for drugs at area bus stations, rest stops, train stations and airports.

 

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