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John Soprano, former Edwardsville police chief, named director of Bureau of Narcotic Investigations in Plains Twp.
Soprano
State Attorney General Tom Corbett didn’t have to look far to find a new director to oversee drug investigations in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
John Soprano, 47, was appointed as regional director for the Bureau of Narcotic Investigations that has its headquarters in Plains Township.
For the past five years, Soprano has been a narcotics agent with the Attorney General’s Office investigating the illegal distribution of prescription and illegal drugs in the region.
Soprano, who began his new duties on Monday, replaced Frank Noonan, who was promoted in July to chief of criminal investigations with the Attorney General’s Criminal Law Division in Harrisburg.
“I have some big shoes to fill following the promotion of Frank. I’m up to the challenge and looking forward to it,” Soprano said.
“John Soprano has an extensive law enforcement background, including time as a police officer, a narcotics detective and an agent with the Attorney General’s Office,” Corbett said in a news release. “His comprehensive experience and training make him an important asset to the Bureau of Narcotics Investigation.”
Soprano began his law enforcement career in 1983 as an officer in Avoca. He became a patrol officer in Edwardsville in 1985, moving up the ranks to narcotics officer, sergeant and police chief in March 1995.
He will be responsible for developing large-scale drug investigations and overseeing narcotics agents and support staff, Corbett said.
Soprano is a graduate of Penn State and the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Police Academy.
Noonan, 62, a former special agent with the FBI, headed the northeast region for nearly 11 years, directing some of the largest drug cases in the history of Northeastern Pennsylvania. He was the first to tag investigations as “operations,” a practice that identifies large-scale drug investigations and has been copied across the state.
As chief of criminal investigations, Noonan will oversee a staff of nearly 300 agents across the state investigating public corruption, illegal narcotics, Medicaid fraud, insurance fraud and environmental crimes, Corbett said. Noonan replaced Clifford O’Hara, who recently retired after serving in the position for the past four years.