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WILKES-BARRE — The raid of a rooming house on North Main Street on Saturday was the result of area law enforcement agencies working together to address a recent influx of fentanyl- and carfentanil-laced heroin that has recently made its way into the area.
The raid, which was preceded by an arrest, was the next step in an investigation initiated by the Kingston police department in June in which the purchase of heroin by undercover officers continued to show positive for the other increasingly dangerous drugs.
Experts believe that some drug dealers are using fentanyl and carfentanil as cutting agents to make their product stand out among competition, making the impact of the heroin much stronger than the user expects it to be.
The investigation led police to Larry Gilliam Jr., 39, who was allegedly selling the fentanyl- and carfentanil-laced heroin out of a rooming house at 374 N. Main St., police said.
Gilliam allegedly sold laced heroin to undercover officers on Friday evening and was taken into custody without incident.
On Saturday, officers with the Luzerne County Task Force, Kingston police, Wilkes-Barre police and Pennsylvania State Police executed a search warrant at the rooming house and seized quantities of illegal narcotics, firearms and proceeds from drug trafficking, according to police.
Police said that in addition to the drug trafficking evidence, investigators seized evidence of credit card fraud.
The investigation is ongoing, according to Joseph Coffay, Commander of Investigations.
