Police arrest suspected drug dealers in Indiana County

INDIANA, Pa. — A lot of legwork and undercover, confidential buys helped law enforcement in Indiana County charge 26 people on Wednesday for their alleged roles as drug dealers.

"This is a public health epidemic,” said District Attorney Patrick Dougherty. “It's not solely a law enforcement issue, but today is a good day to try and let people know that are peddling this poison into our communities, we're not just standing by letting you have free rein."

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State police say it was tips from citizens that helped them identify more than two dozen people allegedly selling mostly heroin and cocaine on the streets of Indiana County.

"And thats where a lot of this information came from,” said Lt. Joe Loughran of the Pennsylvania State Police. “People calling in, giving us information and we worked it up the line."

As of Wednesday afternoon, seven suspects were in police custody, and four more are in custody on other charges.

"This is a good day for Indiana County,” Dougherty said. “We're very happy to get these mid-level dealers off the street and actually put a dent into the drug distribution system."

Police say they believe targeting these mid-level dealers will make a significant dent in the supply and demand.

"This will impact not only the drug trade but the property and theft crimes associated with drug deals,” Loughran said.

"Drug investigations take time and this is a great example of how a yearlong investigation has been successful in making all these arrests and arrest warrants,” Dougherty said.

Cox Media Group