Fifteen people were arrested yesterday for their alleged roles in a $2 million heroin and cocaine ring that the state attorney general says operated for four years in three local counties, including Centre County.

No Penn State students were involved, said Lauren Bozart, spokeswoman for Attorney General Tom Corbett. She added that the drugs were sold in Centre County, but she could not comment on whether they were sold on Penn State's campus or surrounding areas.

The investigation centered on the Lock Haven area, where authorities say "bulk quantities" of heroin and cocaine were trafficked, according to a press release from the attorney general's office.

Centre County District Attorney Michael Madeira said drug distribution in Centre County related to this ring mostly occurred in the northeastern part of the county.

"As is true of all of these drugs though, once they are distributed above the street level, it is impossible to say they haven't made it this far south [to the State College area]," Madeira said.

Corbett announced the arrests yesterday, indicating that they were a culmination of an investigation, known as "Operation Flat Tire," by the Attorney General's Bureau of Narcotics Investigation. According to the press release, a grand jury evaluated the evidence and recommended criminal charges be filed.

The ringleader was identified by the grand jury as Orlando "OD" or "Pablo" Diaz, Jr., of Clinton County, according to the press release.

The release states that, according to the grand jury, Diaz purchased and transferred heroin and cocaine about once a week from a

supplier in Bronx, N.Y., where he was a member of a Hispanic street gang called the "Latin Kings."

At a press conference yesterday, Corbett said New York City remains a "pipeline for drugs" to local counties and a "strong" contributor to "drug-related violence and gang activity."

According to the press release, the Centre County residents allegedly involved in the drug organization include Nicole Lehman, 23, of 1906 Zion Road in Bellefonte; Anthony Dunn, 33, of 105 Dry Top Road in Milesburg; and Michele Driver, 24, of 206 Woods Ave., in Fleming. Yolanda Page, 25, who was being held at the Centre County Correctional Facility, was also charged.

Dunn, Lehman, Page and Driver each face one count of possession with intent to deliver heroin, one count of criminal conspiracy and two counts of participating in corrupt organizations, according to the press release.

Dunn received an additional charge related to the alleged theft and alteration of a firearm, according to the press release.

Madeira said he is appreciative of the efforts made by the Attorney General's office in this investigation.

"I will use any resource, whether it's a local task force, the attorney general's office or federal authorities, where they can assist us in keeping our Centre County community one of the safest in the state," Madeira said.