Crime News

Mexico-to-Lehigh Valley Meth Ring Led by Bethlehem Man, AG says

Pa. attorney general says narcotics agents have busted an international meth ring that distributed $7 million worth of drugs in the Lehigh Valley in the last five years.

A Bethlehem man is accused of being co-leader of a crystal methamphetamine ring, which stretched from Mexico to the Lehigh Valley and allegedly distributed $7 million worth of drugs over the past five years, according to state officials. Twenty-three suspected drug dealers and traffickers are charged as a result of the 15-month investigation. Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane identified the leaders of the organization as: Evidence and testimony regarding the alleged drug trafficking was presented to a statewide investigating grand jury, which recommended that criminal charges be filed. The grand jury found that a California woman secured large amounts of crystal methamphetamine from a source in Mexico and delivered the drugs to a location …

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Pa. Lottery Privatization Rejected by Attorney General

Pennsylvania’s newest attorney general Kathleen Kane said the administration’s contract to privatize management of the Pennsylvania Lottery is unconstitutional and not statutorily authorized.

By Melissa Daniels | PA Independent HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s Attorney General Kathleen Kane rejected the governor’s contract with Camelot Global Services to manage the Pennsylvania Lottery. Kane said the contract “contravenes the Pennsylvania Constitution and is not statutorily authorized.” Related Op-Ed: A Bad Gamble: Pa. Lottery Privatization Gov. Tom Corbett’s administration entered the contract — a professional management agreement — with Camelot in January. The Office of the Attorney General is required by state law to review contracts for “form and legality.” In this case, the Camelot PMA failed to meet that test, according to a letter from Kane’s office to the administration sent early Thursday. State officials in the Department …

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$3.5M Meth Ring Included Lehigh Valley, Say Police

A methamphetamine trafficking organization that worked in Pennsylvania through Bucks and Montgomery counties have been caught in "Operation Blowout."

A four-year undercover investigation has resulted in the indictments of 27 people suspected of links to a crystal methamphetamine trafficking operation that stretched from Mexico and Texas to the Lehigh Valley. Officials believe that the large network is responsible for the distribution of more than $3.5 million worth of crystal meth in southeastern and northern Pennsylvania, according to the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office, which announced the arrests Wednesday. Evidence obtained through undercover drug buys, wiretaps and other court-authorized surveillance was presented to a grand jury in 2011, which came back in September 2012 with multiple criminal charges for each suspect. Although all the suspects arrested are primarily from …

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State Says $3.5M Meth Ring Included Lehigh Valley

'Operation Blowout' will be announced by state attorney general at a news conference this morning.

State investigators say they've broken a $3.5 million methamphetamine operation that stretched from Philadelphia to the northern tier of Pennsylvania, including the Lehigh Valley. Investigators with the state attorney general's office were expected to announce details of the ring -- and the 27 arrests they've made -- at a news conference this morning in Philadelphia, the Morning Call reports. The announcement comes a little more than a month after the attorney general charged six men with operating a $1 million meth operation in Lehigh and Northampton counties. Patch will have more on today's announcement after the news conference. 

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Pa. Elects First Woman Democrat Attorney General

Pennsylvania voters elected their first woman Democrat to be the state's top cop on Tuesday.

Kathleen Kane achieved two firsts in her Pennsylvania attorney general election victory: She defeated Republican David Freed 56 to 41 percent in unofficial results from Tuesday's voting. Kane won the support of Lehigh Valley voters on her way to statewide success: Lehigh County Northampton County Kane, 46, is a former Lackawanna County prosecutor who will now oversee an office with a staff of about 700 and subject to legislative battles over a budget that now stands at $81 million, according to a Philly.com report. Kane had a slight fundraising edge in the race.  Both candidates pledged a review of the Jerry Sandusky child rape case.

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AG: Warning, Tips for Home Owners in Wake of Hurricane Sandy

AG advises getting a written contract for any home repair costing more than $500 as Pennsylvanians recover from Hurricane Sandy

HARRISBURG - Attorney General Linda Kelly urged Pennsylvania residents to be cautious about storm-related consumer problems and potential scams in the coming days, as residents assess damage and communities work to recover from Hurricane Sandy. "Natural disasters can be a magnet for scam artists and unscrupulous operators who are more interested in taking money from storm victims than in helping with repairs," Kelly said.  "Consumers should remain vigilant, understand their rights and carefully evaluate any contractors they hire to repair homes or to address other storm damage." Kelly noted that the most common topics for consumer complaints following disasters include home repair scams, government loan or grant schemes, fraudulent …

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Attorney General Candidates Promise Sandusky Review

On the hot-button issue of the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse case, Pennsylvania's attorney general candidates say they will look into how then-attorney general Corbett handled that case, which was opened under his watch before he was elected governor in 201

By Eric Boehm | PA Independent SUSQUEHANNA TOWNSHIP — Attorney General hopefuls David Freed and Kathleen Kane sparred over their independence and experience on last week during the only scheduled debate in the hotly-contested statewide race. During a snappy 50-minute exchange hosted by Widener Law School just outside of Harrisburg, the two candidates faced questions about their qualifications for the top law enforcement post in the state, their independence from state politics and their plans for the office, if elected. Kane, a Democrat, repeatedly attacked Freed as the “hand-picked” candidate of Gov. Tom Corbett and the Pennsylvania Republican Party, which has controlled the attorney general’s office ever since it became an elected office…

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Democrat Kathleen Kane Has Slight Fundraising Edge in AG Race

Pennsylvania's attorney general race could turn on money, but not necessarily campaign’s own cash

By Eric Boehm | PA Independent HARRISBURG — Money will play a big role in determining who will be Pennsylvania’s next attorney general, though it won’t all come from the two candidates seeking the office. Finance reports filed with the Department of State show Democratic candidate Kathleen Kane with a slight fundraising edge over Republican candidate Dave Freed, but direct contributions to their campaigns tell only part of the story in what appears to be the most bitter campaign among the three statewide row office races this year. A Republican-supporting group has already spent more than $500,000 on a controversial campaign ad that has turned up the heat in the race, and Kane’s personal fortune is sure to come into play as well. “Whether …

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