September 27, 2016
Hayden Mitman/PhillyVoice
A table full of confiscated drugs, including marijuana, heroin and prescription medication, sits on a table at the Philadelphia Police's Forensic Science Center in the city's East Poplar neighborhood.
A three-day initiative to pull violent suspects off the streets of Northwest Philadelphia led to 50 arrests and the confiscation of more than $50,000 worth of drugs.
Most of the suspects were wanted in recent shootings, according to police officials, who announced the effort on Tuesday.
According to investigator Melvin Singleton of the Philadelphia police narcotics unit, the dragnet – which took place from Sept. 21 to 23 — should have a "significant" impact on crime in the Olney, Germantown and West Oak Lane sections of the city.
Singleton declined to name any suspects taken into custody or detail which shooting incidents may be involved, noting the cases remain open and additional arrests could be forthcoming.
"This should be significant," he said. "But this is not a one-time initiative... more folks still need to be arrested."
Officers in the 35th and 14th police districts teamed with the narcotics unit, the shooting investigation unit and others to target open air drug markets in the neighborhoods, Singleton said. The initiative, he said, began as a response to recent shooting incidents in Northwest Philadelphia.
The campaign, Singleton said, had three components.
On the first day, police hit open air drug markets, he said.
"We addressed every possible open air drug corner throughout the [Northwest] Division that we were aware of," Singleton said.
On the second day, officers arrested individuals with outstanding warrants, and on the last day, officers "saturated" the community, tracking down suspects in violent crimes.
A cache of drugs – including marijuana, heroin, Xanax and Percocet— and more than $17,000 in cash were seized by police. No weapons were recovered.
"We use drug offenses as an avenue to arrest violent offenders," he said. "[A suspect] may be the shooter, but he's out there selling drugs."
