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Nearly half million dollars worth of heroin seized in Newark area

Delaware Public Media

The U.S. Attorney’s office in Delaware is touting what it says may be the largest seizure of prepackaged heroin in state history.

U.S. Attorney Charles Oberly says 48,800 bags of heroin with a street value of nearly a half million dollars were confiscated last Thursday in the Newark area.

The operation, which involved the DEA and FBI along with Newark and Wilmington police, also netted two loaded handguns and about $48,000 dollars cash.

Oberly adds some of the heroin tested positive for fentanyl, known to increase the chance of overdose,  and bore a stamp linked to a previous fatal overdose in Wilmington.

Special Agent in Charge Gary Tuggle from the DEA's Philadelphia Field Office says getting this much heroin off the streets saves lives.

“If you look at the price-purity levels of heroin in this area, the purity levels are very high and prices are very, very low.  That’s a very dangerous combination.  When you throw on top of that the fentanyl-laced heroin, you exponentially take that threat to a whole new level," said Tuggle. "Folks will undoubtedly live now that would have otherwise gotten a hold of this crap and probably would have died.”

Three brothers, Abdul, Amyra and Daniel Haye, were arrested during the seizure, along with Cezar Mills and Julius Williams.  All five face one count Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin, which carries a maximum 40 year sentence.  The U.S. Attorney’s office adds all five likely face additional charges.

Officials credit cooperation fostered by the nearly year old New Castle County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) for helping produce results in the two and a half month investigation.

“It’s easier for us to make these kind of cases when we’ve got this kind of organizational cooperation because we’re much more effective at developing intelligence and sharing that intelligence on an inter-agency basis when we work collaboratively like we do in the HIDTA framework,” said David C. Weiss, first Assistant U.S. Attorney in Delaware.

Tom Byrne has been a fixture covering news in Delaware for three decades. He joined Delaware Public Media in 2010 as our first news director and has guided the news team ever since. When he's not covering the news, he can be found reading history or pursuing his love of all things athletic.
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