Attorney general announces 31 drug busts in Blair County

The Pennsylvania attorney general announced charges Friday against 31 individuals accused of dealing drugs in Blair County.

The charges were made as part of a raid conducted by the AG’s office and the Blair County Drug Task Force, a news release by Attorney General Josh Shapiro said. This was reported to be the sixth major drug sweep in Blair County since Shapiro took office in 2017.

The cases are unrelated, the release said, but involved individuals selling heroin, opioids, crystal meth and other drugs. Six of the investigations involved the street sale of suboxone and methadone, which are commonly used to treat opioid addictions.

The charges are the result of a year-long investigation by the AG’s office, Altoona police, the Blair County Drug Task Force, the Blair County’s Sheriff’s Department, state parole and state police, the release said. Twenty-six of the individuals listed hail from Altoona, according to the release, two are from Bellwood, one is from Breezewood, one is from Claysburg and one is from Chester County. Ages of those accused range from 19 to 64 years old.

“Drug dealers aren’t constrained by municipal boundaries, and neither are we,” Shapiro said in the release. “We hear the people of Blair County, and we’re going to do whatever it takes to arrest anyone selling drugs and fueling an epidemic that is ravaging Pennsylvania.”

This story was originally published January 19, 2018 at 5:34 PM with the headline "Attorney general announces 31 drug busts in Blair County."