HEARING TESTIMONY DESCRIBES COCAINE DEALS

Brian Peters testified he first met "Will" about two years ago when
he was buying crack cocaine from a man he knew as "Mike."

He said if he couldn't get in touch of Mike, he would contact Will
instead. And about once a week, they would pick a location where he
would hand over the money in exchange for the cocaine, Peters
testified Wednesday.

Then "I would smoke it," the 35-year-old New Oxford man said. "I was
an addict for a good while."

Peters said the drug deals continued for the better part of two years
up until a few months ago. And Peters eventually began arranging
transactions for other people, including an undercover state trooper
whose investigation led to charges against "Will," "Mike" and four others.

The state Attorney General's Office this month charged the six people
in connection with running a trafficking and distribution ring they
allege in the past two years brought cocaine and heroin from New York
City into York and Adams counties.

At a preliminary hearing Wednesday, Magisterial District Judge Thomas
Carr dropped charges of criminal conspiracy to commit possession with
the intent to deliver cocaine against "Will" whom authorities later
identified as [Name redacted], 22, of [street address redacted], Gettysburg.

The other charges against him - one count of possession with the
intent to deliver cocaine, five counts of delivering cocaine and one
count of criminal use of a communication facility - were forwarded
to Adams County court.

Another man charged in connection with the drug ring - [Name
redacted], 22, of [street address redacted], New Oxford - waived his
preliminary hearing Wednesday. He is charged with possession with the
intent to deliver cocaine and criminal conspiracy.

Both [Name redacted] and [Name redacted] remain in Adams County
prison in lieu of $500,000 bail. They will be arraigned May 17 in
Adams County court.

Pennsylvania State Police Trooper John Brumbaugh Jr. testified he
first met "Will" on Feb. 1 when Brumbaugh accompanied Peters to buy
some cocaine. He said Peters called [Name redacted] using his cell
phone to arrange the $100 transaction.

When they arrived at [Name redacted]'s apartment, Peters went inside
and came back out a short time later to Brumbaugh's vehicle with the drugs.

Brumbaugh said as he was pulling away, [Name redacted] called his
cell phone and asked him for a ride to New Oxford, and that he would
"hook him up" for doing so.

"I said, 'Yeah, sure.'" Brumbaugh testified.

He said he dropped him off in the area of Water and High streets. And
at that time [Name redacted] uncuffed his pants leg, where he kept
seven to nine baggies of crack cocaine and handed one to Peters, who
then gave it to Brumbaugh, Brumbaugh said.

Brumbaugh testified he made several other undercover purchases from
[Name redacted] at his apartment on Feb. 4, Feb. 6 and Feb. 20.

And on Feb. 23, police served a search warrant at the apartment where
they found 5 ounces of cocaine and $2,000 cash, he said.

[Name redacted] and [Name redacted]'s girlfriend were also inside the
residence when the search warrant was executed, he said.

After the testimony, [Name redacted]'s attorney, David Erhard, of
Gettysburg, told the judge he thought the conspiracy charge should be
dropped because the testimony made no mention of the man with whom
[Name redacted] allegedly conspired.

"It was interesting that Mr. [Name redacted] is a link in the chain
here to this (drug) ring, but I think his involvement still remains
to be seen," Erhard said after the hearing.

The Attorney General announced the charges stemming from the
investigation - known as "Operation Gotcha" - earlier this month.
The investigation began in January 2006 and focused on the
trafficking of nearly $1 million of cocaine and heroin from Brooklyn
to Adams and York counties for redistribution.

Over the course of the investigation, state police seized
approximately 50 bags of heroin stamped "Gotcha" and "Never Broke," 6
ounces of cocaine and $2,000 cash, Attorney General Tom Corbett has
said. He alleged that during the past two years, the group is
responsible for the distribution of 8 kilograms of cocaine with an
estimated street value of $806,000 and 60 ounces of heroin with an
estimated street value of $126,000.

Deputy Attorney General Heather Adams, who is prosecuting the cases,
said Wednesday that the alleged ring leader, [Name redacted], 23, of
Brooklyn, is still at large. He is charged with delivery of cocaine,
possession with the intent to deliver cocaine and criminal conspiracy
to deliver cocaine.

[Name redacted], 22, is currently jailed in New York City, on charges
of heroin and cocaine delivery, possession with the intent to deliver
the two drugs, criminal use of a communication facility and dealing
in proceeds of unlawful activity.

[Name redacted] allegedly rented hotel rooms locally and used them as
a base of operations for distribution and sale throughout the area.
He also allegedly spent three days a week at a home in Gettysburg and
used the residence as a place to sell cocaine.

[Name redacted] made frequent trips to New York to purchase cocaine
for redistribution locally and brought others - [Names redacted]
- - from Brooklyn to the Gettysburg area to sell cocaine.

Corbett said the group allegedly stayed together at the homes of
local females in Gettysburg, were [Name redacted] sold cocaine.
Members of the group also used local residents to rent cars, in their
own names, in exchange for amounts of cocaine or heroin to use
personally. The rental cars were then used to make trips to New York,
where they would resupply themselves with additional cocaine and heroin.

One of those women, [Name redacted], 19, of [street address
redacted], Hanover, has not yet been arraigned on cocaine delivery
and criminal conspiracy charges but is expected to turn herself in to police.

And [Name redacted]'s girlfriend, [Name redacted], 19, of [street
address redacted]., is scheduled for a preliminary hearing June 28.
She was released on $5,000 unsecured bail. She faces charges of
possession with the intent to deliver cocaine and criminal conspiracy.