WAS DRUG ARREST JUST A BIG SHOW?

On Jan. 7, police in Kingston Township, Dallas and Dallas Township as
well as members of the Luzerne County Drug Task Force arrested
18-year-old Ali Abualburak at his home on felony drug charges.

Police spent money on a seven-week investigation. Local law
enforcement watched his house, observed him when he went
skateboarding with friends and falsely concluded that he was running
a serious operation.

What is most alarming is the fact that, as reported by this
newspaper, law enforcement issued a nighttime search warrant, which
is supposed to be used only in cases in which there is reasonable
danger that evidence or witnesses might be lost. The fact that no one
at the house was armed or had any history of violent crime shows the
lack of judgment by law enforcement in this arrest.

Ali Abualburak is not a real criminal. This is a small case that
points to a larger issue of misguided federal drug policy. It is not
Abualburak who should be ashamed, but those who decided to launch a
wasteful investigation that supposedly cost taxpayers $100,000.

I have known Ali and most of his family throughout my high school
career. He and his family came from Jordan to make a good life in the
United States. He was very involved in Diversity Club and was not
known for bad behavior. He is a student at Penn State Wilkes-Barre
with a 3.7 GPA. He graduated from Dallas High School in 2010 on the honor roll.

Within 24 hours of the news, a Facebook group was created by friends
and family to help raise money for his attorney fees.

Local police are using him as a scapegoat to shed positive light on
law enforcement efforts to halt local drug smuggling, but this arrest
will in no way alter the flow of drugs and drug money through
Kingston Township and neighboring communities.

Pete Blanchard

Shavertown