A Lehigh County commissioner faces new charges — over 100 of them — relating to the investigation of an organized drug trafficking ring in Lehigh and Northampton counties.

Zachary Cole-Borghi, 35, of Bethlehem, was arraigned on the felony offenses Wednesday before Magisterial District Judge Amy L. Zanelli, Bethlehem, who set bail at $500,000 straight cash.

Cole-Borghi was first identified as a suspect in August of last year when investigators busted a multistate drug ring and he was one of 41 people charged.

In a 175-page filing Wednesday, the affidavit of probable cause details alarming allegations showing the commissioner participated in the drug trafficking activity at a commissioners’ meeting, at Bethlehem City Hall and at a community college peace symposium, court records show.

Cole-Borghi’s new charges include 89 counts of criminal use of a communications facility, 14 counts of delivery of a controlled substance (cocaine) and one count of delivery of controlled substance (psilocybin mushrooms).

Documents show that the violations occurred in both counties, with authorities agreeing the prosecution of them will take place in Lehigh.

Police said in May, 2024, Cole-Borghi became a subject involved in the ongoing investigation into a drug trafficking organization.

After his cellphone number was found during that probe, police obtained a search warrant to seize his Apple iCloud records that provided them text messaging records starting in 2021 and ending in August 2025.

The affidavit on record includes multiple conversations that include drug activity and literally contains over 1,000 of text messages between Cole-Borghi and cooperating sources, whom they did not identify, that showed Cole-Borghi negotiating prices of the drugs and arranging delivery of the controlled substance on multiple occasions.

The charges were announced by the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office and were filed by Sgt. Christopher Cruz and Officer Chadbourne Ellis who are both assigned to the Lehigh County Drug Task Force.

Cole-Borghi was first elected to the Lehigh County Board of Commissioners in 2021.

He was subsequently reelected to a second term in 2025, securing the District 3 seat with roughly 69% of the vote against Republican challenger Jacqueline Rivera.