ISLAND BUST NETS $5,000 OF CRACK

Crack cocaine with a street value of about $5,000 was recovered by law
enforcement officers during a raid of two Wheeling Island apartments
Wednesday afternoon, Wheeling Police Chief Kevin Gessler said.

Gessler and Sgt. Mike Beaver, the Wheeling Police Department's public
information officer, released information on the seizure early Wednesday
evening. In addition to the drugs, $1,235 in cash was seized and an
unspecified number of individuals were taken into custody in the incident
at 1 N. Front St. Wednesday afternoon.

Neither Gessler nor Beaver had information available late Wednesday on
identities of the individuals taken into custody. That information is
expected to be available later today, they said.

"We're waiting for fingerprint analysis to get accurate identification on
these people," Gessler said.

In addition, Gessler and Beaver said determinations have not been made
regarding specific charges for each of the individuals who were arrested.

Several of the individuals were from outside the Wheeling area, but Gessler
would not provide further information on their home towns.

Gessler said the incident began early Wednesday with information from the
uniformed division of the WPD. He would not specify what that information
may have entailed.

Search warrants were obtained in circuit court for two of the apartments
and then served at 2:40 p.m. Wednesday by uniformed officers with
assistance from the Ohio Valley Drug Task Force, Gessler said.

In a first floor apartment, officers found two adults, two teens, two
infants and a 3-year-old toddler, Gessler said. Eight people were found in
another apartment. He did not specify where the crack was found.

Gessler said in cases in which youngsters are found in the care of
individuals about to be taken into custody, the children are "usually
released to members of the immediate families" when possible. He did not
indicate whether that will be done with these youngsters or if they will be
turned over to the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Services.

Gessler said the crack seizure will put a "big dent" into criminal activity
on Wheeling Island.

"With all the proactive activity, with street patrols, people calling us,
things like this will continue to happen," Gessler said.