Following Two-Month Operation, Attorney General Announces Results of Office’s Strategic Response Team Drug Sweep
HARRISBURG — Attorney General Josh Shapiro today announced the results of a two-month deployment in the Wilkes-Barre area of the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General’s Strategic Response Team. The operation lasted from March-May 2019 and resulted in 59 felony drug trafficking arrests and the seizures of three handguns, two assault rifles, 133 grams of heroin, 71 grams of fentanyl, 125 grams of cocaine, and 325 grams of crack cocaine.
“The flow of illegal drugs and guns is devastating Pennsylvania families and communities, including right here in Wilkes-Barre,” said Attorney General Shapiro. “As the Chief Law Enforcement Officer of Pennsylvania, I am battling the drug and gun violence epidemics and holding accountable those who threaten the safety of Pennsylvanians. I’m grateful for the strong collaboration between local, state, and federal law enforcement that made this operation a success. The good people of Wilkes-Barre should rest assured that we are not going away, and will continue working on the front lines every day to keep their communities safe.”
Some of the notable arrests include:
- Travis Hamlet, 25, of Wilkes-Barre, was arrested after selling an AR-15 assault rifle and approximately 9.8 grams of cocaine to an undercover agent. Agents also seized a Taurus MG2 9mm handgun, 87.7 grams of cocaine, 60 grams of marijuana and $5,684 of United States currency from his residence.
- Trevor Holman, 29, of Wilkes-Barre, was arrested after agents seized one Glock 17 9mm handgun, 29.32 grams of heroin, 27.31 grams of crack cocaine, 175 grams of marijuana, and $4,822 in United States currency from his residence.
- Raisuli Douglass, 43, of Wilkes-Barre was arrested after agents seized 121 bags or 30.42 grams of fentanyl and numerous other items of drug paraphernalia and narcotics packaging material from his residence. Agents also seized an additional 9.9 grams of cocaine and 23.3 grams of fentanyl during a buy/bust operation while Douglass was out on bail.
- Robert Godlewski, 46, of Wilkes-Barre, and Eleazar Bryant, 40, of Nanticoke, were arrested after Godlewski sold undercover agents 170 bags or 3.4 grams of heroin. Bryant was the source of Godlweski’s drugs. Agents seized 170 bags or 3.4 grams of heroin and 1.39 grams of crack cocaine from Bryant. They seized an additional one pound or 453.6 grams of marijuana and $21,044 in U.S. currency from Bryant’s residence in Nanticoke. Agents later seized an additional 240 grams of crack cocaine and $17,890 in U.S. currency from Bryant’s car.
The operation was part of a combined effort by the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General’s Office Strategic Response Central and West Teams, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General Special Operations Group, Wilkes-Barre City Police Department Anti-Crime/NST, Wilkes-Barre Police Department Investigation and Patrol Divisions, Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office, Luzerne County Drug Task Force, Scranton Police VICE Unit, FBI, ATF, DEA Task Forces, Pennsylvania State Parole, NYPD, and the Pennsylvania State Police Troop P VICE Unit to combat violence and drug related crime in Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania.
The Office of Attorney General has Strategic Response Teams located in Western, Central, and Eastern Pennsylvania. Other recent deployments include a five-month operation in Lackawanna and Luzerne Counties and a 7-month operation in Westmoreland County.
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