Two State College residents in their 20s were arraigned for their suspected involvement with the local sales of up to $150,000 worth of heroin -- some of which was bought by Penn State students, the Centre County Drug Task Force said yesterday.
Ryan "Grover" Diricco, 22, and Penn State student Bethany Nelson, 20, face charges of possession with intent to deliver and delivery of heroin after a search warrant was executed at their 316 South Allen St. residence, according to police reports.
In the search, executed earlier this week, police said they found 31 bags of "Super Fly" heroin and a number of hypodermic needles.
Police received a tip Monday about Nelson and Diricco's involvement with heroin. This was not the first time police learned about the two, according to the report.
In the investigation into a February heroin overdose, the report said Diricco was a suspect in the drug sales.
Scott Merrill, coordinator of the drug task force said these arrests are not a "direct result" of the investigation into the five suspected heroin overdoses in February, one of which was fatal.
"It's a result of all of the heroin investigations that brought us to this point," Merrill said.
He said that Nelson and Diricco are suspected of selling the drug to Penn State students, as well as other community members.
"I think they were definitely supplying a large amount of the heroin in the State College area," Merrill said. The report said the two are suspected of selling the $150,000 of heroin within the past seven months in Centre County. At their house, $800 worth of heroin was confiscated, police said.
Karen Kuebler, assistant district attorney, said the maximum sentence for heroin charges is 15 years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine.
"We take all of our drug cases pretty seriously," she said.
After the arraignment, the two were committed to Centre County Prison with a bail of $25,000 each. Their preliminary hearings are scheduled for April 24, according to court documents.
Heroin is a highly addictive drug, Kathleen Holden, an intern at the L.T. Clayton & Associates Drug and Alcohol Counseling Services, 230 S. Fraser St., said.
"There's a number of in-patient facilities (for heroin detoxification) in our area," Holden said. The Caron Foundation, White Deer Run and Marworth Treatment Center are three that she said handle in-patient heroin addicts.
"Some people are not very happy to go right into in-patient although that may be the best option for significant heroin use," Holden said.
Long-term effects of heroin include heart problems, heightened blood pressure and a depressed respiratory system, she said.
Many heroin addicts require medical detoxification, which allows the user to adjust by substituting a different drug for heroin. This can only be done with a medical doctor, she said.
Anyone with information pertaining to the Centre County Drug Task Force's heroin investigation is urged to call the tip line at (877) 898-DRUG.
