Two major drug operations that allegedly brought cocaine and heroin into Centre County have been taken down following a grand jury investigation, District Attorney Stacy Parks Miller announced Friday.
Officers and agents from the Office of the Attorney General’s Centre County Drug Task Force made arrests of six individuals who were allegedly part of two separate organizations bringing drugs from the Philadelphia area and distributing them in Centre County and surrounding counties.
‘Operation Double Deal’ targeted the organizations identified as the Azim Robinson Organization and Wilber Calliste/Joshua Powell Organization. Combined, the two groups allegedly sold more than $350,000 of heroin and cocaine between 2014 and 2016.
Robinson allegedly ran an organization dating back to 2014, shortly after his release from prison following a drug arrest in State College in 2010. In 2015 and 2016, the task force identified three men — Syeem Byrd Youngblood, Isaiah Tilghman and Amir Robinson — as alleged heroin and cocaine distributors working with Azim Robinson. All three are currently incarcerated on previous convictions in Centre County.
Nyeem Copes, Robert Carlin and Eugene Batchler also were identified as alleged distributors for Azim Robinson, who investigators say largely remained in Philadelphia and conducted sales by cell phone and arranging meetings with local distributors to avoid law enforcement detection.
Robinson and Batchler were arrested in the past week and Copes and Carlin were charged Friday. The organization allegedly sold heroin in bundles of 10 to 14 bags and bricks of 50 to 70 bags, as well as multiple grams of raw heroin. Cocaine allegedly was sold in gram and ounce quantities. The estimated street value of the drugs sold between December 2014 and November 2016 is more than $300,000, according to Parks Miller.
Calliste and Powell allegedly distributed $50,000 of heroin and cocaine in Bellefonte, State College and surrounding areas from the fall of 2014 through August 2016. Powell was arrested by Pennsylvania State Police on unrelated charges in August, and Calliste fled to Berks County, where he was taken into custody on Wednesday in connection with the drug investigation.
The organization allegedly sold heroin in bundles and bricks, and cocaine in multiple grams and ounce quantities.
Law enforcement agencies have been investigating both organizations for the past year, using surveillance and controlled purchases by undercover agents and confidential informants in State College, Bellefonte, Clearfield and surrounding areas.
Police from State College, Patton Township, Ferguson Township, Spring Township, Bellefonte and Penn State as well as Pennsylvania State Police cooperated in the investigation along with the attorney general’s office.
“I commend our Drug Task Force for rooting out these hard dealers and stopping the flow of these dangerous drugs into our community,’ Parks Miller said in a release. ‘It is a long and complicated road to take down a network of drugs coming from somewhere else and we are committed to going up the ladder to cut off supply.”
The charges include:
– Azim Robinson, 29, of Philadelphia, is charged with 26 counts of possession with intent to deliver, one count of conspiracy, eight counts of criminal use of a communications facility, one count of dealing in proceeds from unlawful activity and two counts of corrupt organizations.
– Eugene Batchler, 32, of Philadelphia, is charged with 22 counts of possession with intent to deliver, one count of conspiracy, one count of criminal use of a communications facility, one count of dealing in proceeds from unlawful activity and two counts of corrupt organizations.
– Nyeem Copes, 23, of Philadelphia, is charged with four counts of possession with intent to deliver, one count of conspiracy, one count of criminal use of a communications facility, one count of dealing in proceeds from unlawful activity and two counts of corrupt organizations.
– Robert Carlin, 28, of Bellefonte, is charged with two counts of possession with intent to deliver, one count of conspiracy, one count of criminal use of a communications facility, one count of dealing in proceeds from unlawful activity and two counts of corrupt organizations.
– Wilber Calliste, 32, of Reading, is charged with 16 counts of possession with intent to deliver, two counts of conspiracy, five counts of criminal use of a communications facility, and one count of dealing in proceeds from unlawful activity.
– Joshua Powell, 33, is charged with four counts of of possession with intent to deliver, one count of conspiracy and once count of criminal use of a communications facility.
