32 Arrested in Massive Montco-Colombia Drug Trafficking Bust
From Left: Charles J. Termine, Douglas Ehrhart, Michael Daly and Angelo Betancourt.
On Wednesday, Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman and a host of other law enforcement officials announced the arrest of 32 suspects allegedly involved in the trafficking of methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin.
The case was sparked back in January 2014 after DEA agents contacted Montgomery County authorities about a possible heroin trafficking operation that came to light through a wiretapping investigation in Medellin, Colombia, the South American city that became a household name in the 1980s thanks to Pablo Escobar’s ruthless Medellin Cartel.
The DEA explained to Montgomery County investigators that a Colombian drug trafficker had recently exchanged several telephone calls with Michael Daly, a 54-year-old Norristown resident, who spent time in federal prison back in the 1990s after a conviction for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.
Ferman obtained wiretap approvals for Daly’s phone, as well as the phones of Charles Termine, Douglas Ehrhart, and Angelo Betancourt, who all became suspects once police began investigating Daly. Based on monitored calls and other evidence collected, police arrested Daly and Betancourt on January 23rd. That same day, they began serving 29 search warrants for various properties in the region, which yielded $70,000 worth of meth, $37,800 in cocaine, eight guns, almost $45,000 in cash, and horse tranquilizer Xylazine, which is commonly used to cut heroin.
Here’s the complete list of arrestees: Angelo M. Betancourt, Philadelphia; Michael Anthony Daly, Norristown; Douglas James Ehrhart, Norristown; Charles J. Termine, Norristown; Brian Beckett, Philadelphia; Mary Eileen Henning, Norristown; Anthony Taverno, Norristown; Glenn R. Titus III, Spring City; Michael A. Casey, Norristown; Michael Chant, Blue Bell; Patricia Chant, Blue Bell; Louise DeVincent, Norristown; Stephen Edward Drum, Eagleville; Terrence J. Fitzgerald, Eagleville; Mayte Garcia, Norristown; Glenn Ivan Gratz, Plymouth Meeting; Tina M. Horrocks, Plymouth Meeting; Jeffrey Hutchinson, Conshohocken; Leonard A. Januzelli, East Norriton; Christine Marie Kirk, Plymouth Meeting; Jennifer Kozlowski, Bridgeport; Warren Charles Layre, Conshohocken; Todd A. Lewullis, Collegeville; Eileen Nikki Loukidis, Blue Bell; Richard K. Moulder, Perkiomenville; Paul J. Quinn, West Conshohocken; Steven R. Ronca, Norristown; Logan Ruth, Norristown; Norman R. Russell, Jr., Hatfield; Krystal L. Schamerhorn, North Wales; Thomas Mathew Tronoski, Blue Bell; and Ronald M. Turkowski, Philadelphia.
Betancourt, Daly, Ehrhart, Termine, Beckett, Henning, Taverno and Titus are all being charged with felony drug violations, while the rest are charged with felony use of a communications device and misdemeanor drug charges.
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