In a coordinated effort between the Berks County Drug Task Force, the City of Reading Police Department, and other law enforcement agencies, a significant blow has been dealt to drug trafficking operations in the 200 block of S. 6th Street, Reading, PA. District Attorney Adams announced the successful culmination of a joint investigation targeting drug distribution, specifically focusing on the sale of fentanyl and cocaine.
The investigation, which started in September of 2023, targeted participants and locations involved in street-level drug sales in the 200 block of S. 6th Street. Acting on intelligence gathered over months of meticulous work, law enforcement officers secured seven search warrants from a Berks County Magisterial District Judge.
On Monday March 11, 2024, Detectives from the Berks County Drug Task Force, along with the City of Reading Police Department, Pennsylvania State Police, Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Berks County Emergency Response Team (B.C.E.R.T.) served seven search warrants at residential properties in the block.
The raids yielded a significant cache of illegal substances and firearms. Among the items seized were approximately 3 ½ kilograms of fentanyl in bulk from (potential value of $875,000 prior to dilution), six firearms, 1,770 packets of fentanyl, 580 canisters of cocaine, $32,000 in cash believed to be proceeds from drug sales, and various drug paraphernalia associated with distribution.
The defendants arrested and charged as a result of the operation include: Jose Santiago-Rosado, 32, of 232 S. 6th Street, Gilberto Delgado-Santos, 38, of 229 S. 6th Street, James Gonzalez-Reyes, 47, of 231 S. 6th Street and Roberto Rodriguez-Santos, 36, of 231 S. 6th Street.
Each defendant faces charges related to drug trafficking, with bails ranging from $500,000 to $1,000,000. The firearms seized during the operation further underscore the seriousness of the situation, with weapons ranging from handguns to rifles recovered from the targeted locations.
District Attorney Adams expressed concern about drug sales occurring near schools, highlighting the risk posed to families in the neighborhood stating, “Part of the alarming part of this case is that these locations where drugs were being sold were very close to two schools, Tyson-Schoener and Saint Peters, so this is of a concern to us because this is a neighborhood which has families that reside there.”
Adams continued, “We cannot tolerate this type of drug dealing in our city or county, or anywhere else, and those individuals who are involved with this type of drug dealing, they need to learn a lesson and be sent away for a substantial period of time.”
The defendants have been arraigned by Magisterial District Judge F. Richard Drumheller, with criminal complaints filed against them. A criminal complaint is an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
