Law enforcement authorities have turned off the valve on a heroin pipeline that carried $1.5 million worth of the drug into Carbon County over four months.

On Tuesday morning, District Attorney Jean A. Engler announced the arrest of 11 people on drug charges in what was labeled "Operation 93 Pipeline" because the drug traffickers were bringing the heroin from Luzerne County into Carbon County via Route 93.Those charged are Joshua Ynoe Mejia, the boss of the operation; his right-hand man Bradesky Santos Jr., "enforcer" Anthony Jordan Vega, and Erik Feliz, all of Luzerne County.Mejia supplied David Allen Anthony Jr., Brittany Michele Vincent and Curtis Margle, all of Carbon County. Margle had his own "subgroup" that included Jason R. Wilk of Carbon County, Cynthia Ann Hippensteil of Columbia County, and Robert Alan Fox of Bucks County.Matteo Puddu of Carbon County was supplied by Mejia and had his own sub-dealers.Engler, who has spent over 26 years in the DA's office as an assistant DA and has been DA since August, said the 150,000 bags of heroin distributed by the group during a period of December 2014 to March was the biggest operation that she could remember while working in the DA's office.At a news conference in courtroom two of the courthouse in Jim Thorpe, Engler said she was "pleased to announce the arrest of the 11 individuals for heroin trafficking."Engler said the arrests were the result of a joint investigation with the state Attorney General's office, the county drug force, county detectives, state police and state police K9 units, along with local police including Nesquehoning, Jim Thorpe, Lehighton, Lansford, East Penn and Mahoning townships, and the county adult probation department.The arrests were also the cumulation of months of investigative work by the various agencies, and she praised the cooperation between all the agencies involved.While Engler and law enforcement officials were announcing the arrests, the suspects were being arraigned before District Judge Edward Lewis of Jim Thorpe.Each has been charged with two counts each of corrupt organization, dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities, criminal conspiracy (corrupt organizations and delivery of a controlled substance), possession with intent to manufacture or deliver, criminal use of a communication facility, all felonies; and a misdemeanor charge of unlawful possession of a controlled substance.Vincent, Fox, Hippensteil and Anthony all turned themselves in at the office of District Judge Lewis on Tuesday morning and walked out free on $100,000 unsecured bail each.Bail was set at $1 million for Mejia; $500,000 straight cash for Vega; and $250,000 straight cash each for Puddu, Margle, Feliz, Wilk and Santos.Seven of the 11 defendants are currently inmates in the county prison on other drug-related charges. Engler said the charges they are being held on will be dropped so the commonwealth can prosecute them on the charges related to the operation.Engler also singled out Jeffrey Aster, a part-time detective in the DA's office. Aster was the coordinator of operations for the DA's office in the ongoing investigation.Aster said the arrests have had an effect on the heroin flow into the county, adding that authorities have been told that the heroin supply has shrunk considerably since the arrest of the 11 suspects.Jodi Kennedy of the AG's office and regional director of the drug investigation unit praised the work of the local police departments in cooperation with the AG agents and the drug task force in bringing the suspects to justiceThe investigation began after a routine shoplifting arrest by Mahoning Township police gave authorities the wrench they needed to shut down the drug pipeline.According to an affidavit filed by Aster and Aaron T. Laurito, a narcotics agent for the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General's Bureau of Narcotics Investigation, here's how the investigation unfolded:In February, they learned from Mahoning Township officer Tyler Meek that a person he had arrested for shoplifting told him that since late December 2014, a group was dealing heroin in the county. The group's dealing ended in March with Mejia's and Feliz's arrests during a traffic stop by Nesquehoning police.The shoplifter-turned-informant, who has since vanished and is wanted on a warrant from Lehigh County, gave authorities names.On March 6, a confidential informant in Lansford gave Detective Jack Soberick more names. Authorities arranged a heroin buy between the informant and Anthony. That same day, Mahoning Township Police Chief Audie Mertz told Aster he had interviewed Hippensteil and Fox, who gave him Margle's name. A March 8 buy was arranged with Margle.That night, a Carbon County Drug Task Force surveillance team was watching the buy at a parking lot at routes 895 and 248 in Bowmanstown. As they moved in for the arrest, the driver, Wilk, took off with Margle. Wilk deliberately hit a task force vehicle and took off, leading police on a high-speed chase through the county.Wilk slowed down on Wilk Lane in Lehighton, and Margle bailed out, running into a home. When police knocked on the door, he voluntarily came to the door and was arrested.Police found 380 bags of heroin in the bathroom of the home at 134 Wilk Lane.A short time later, Fox and Hippensteil admitted to Laurito they bought 50 packets of heroin from Margle at the Bowmanstown buy. Wilk, who had been hiding in the woods, was arrested during an April 3 traffic stop.On March 24, Nesquehoning Police Chief Sean Smith told Laurito and Aster that Mejia had been driving a car belonging to Vincent, with Feliz and Santos as passengers. The car smelled of marijuana, and Mejia lacked a driver's license. Heroin was found in the car, and the registration led to Vincent.Later, police learned it was Santos who was driving and who had identified himself as Mejia.Lehighton police went to Vincent's Gypsy Hill apartment, where she lived with Anthony and their baby daughter, on March 25. There, they found detailed drug sales sheets, heroin and cocaine. Vincent admitted to keeping the sheets to help Anthony while he was in jail and unable to run his heroin business. The heroin was supplied by Santos and Feliz, Vincent told police.She said Margle had moved in with them late in 2014, and also supplied heroin for sale. Mejia was Margle's main supplier. Margle stashed the heroin in a locker at a self-storage center in Lehighton, to which Vincent directed police. Police later found small glassine bags commonly used to package heroin in a locker there.On March 25, Aster and Smith saw Anthony at the Carbon County Correctional Facility and asked him to talk about the heroin ring. He did, naming Mejia, Santos, Feliz and Margle.Anthony set up a controlled buy from Mejia at Anthony's apartment on March 26. Mejia and Vega arrived with heroin and $1,000 cash and were arrested.The new cases will be prosecuted by attorney Christie F. Bonesch of the AG office.