Drug ring bust nets 32 arrests

They called it “Operation Snow and Ice Removal,” but it had nothing to do with the weather.

Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman announced 32 arrests in connection with two overlapping drug trafficking rings on Wednesday.

Investigators seized $70,000 worth of methamphetamine, $37,800 worth of cocaine, $44,739 in cash and bank accounts, eight firearms, 10 phones, and 5 vehicles.

Drug paraphernalia including 3,000 heroin bags, six scales, and drug cutting agent Xylazine, a horse tranquilizer, were also seized.

Ferman said the operation began in Norristown in January, 2014, after the DEA alerted county officials of phone calls between Colombia-based trafficker Juan Carlos Jaramillo-Gonzales and Norristown resident Michael Daly.

In October, Ferman received a tip from a citizen who described a family member’s battle with crystal meth addiction. Ferman said the tip allowed detectives to build a wiretap web, leading to 29 search warrants and two arrests on Jan. 23.

The suspects, whose ages range from 21 to 71, hail from across southeast Pennsylvania, with most residing in Norristown.

In addition to Daly, Norristown residents Douglas Ehrhart and Charles Termine, and Philly resident Angelo Betancourt are the main co-defendants