Concern seems to be mounting among law enforcement agencies that central Pennsylvania is being developed as a new market for illegal substances. The fear comes after a spate of drug arrests around Interstate 80 over the weekend.

On Sunday, a Lewisburg man was arrested and charged with having $10,000 worth of cocaine, marijuana and Oxycontin pills in his vehicle. Police believe some of the drugs were headed to the central region of the state, like Union and Northumberland counties. Law enforcement officials expressed surprise at the haul because such drugs are usually found in inner city areas, where demand has historically been greater. Traditionally, drugs such as methamphetamine have been more of a concern in rural areas.

Sunbury Police Chief Stephen Mazzeo told WNEP-TV that use of the Interstate 80 corridor to transport drugs appears to be a rising trend. Stronger organized crime rings in New York, Philadelphia and upper New Jersey are reaching out for new markets, he said, and central Pennsylvania apparently presents an appealing opportunity. Some of the most common drugs being brought into the state are marijuana, cocaine and the addictive pain reliever Oxycodone.

According to the police chief of Lewisburg, local law enforcement agencies are collaborating with state and federal agencies to fight use of I-80 as a drug corridor, since drug rings are proving to be increasingly sophisticated and adaptable and thus harder to break up. Local law enforcement agencies also lack the capabilities of dealing with a problem that originates so far away, he said.

Source: WNEP-TV, "Drugs on I-80 In Central PA" Kena Vernon, 6 June 2011