PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro joined Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw in Cobbs Creek Monday morning to announce dozens of arrests as part of an ongoing partnership.
Throughout the last six months, Philly police and the Strategic Response Team from Shapiro’s office have been targeting some of the more violent blocks in West Philadelphia.
“We have arrested 65 individuals for gun and drug trafficking charges in the 18th and 19th districts alone,” said Shapiro. “We have executed 45 search warrants. We have seized 41 crime guns, including three ghost guns, as well as $82,000 — the fruits of that illegal activity. Additionally, we have seized a significant number of drugs, including 200 lethal doses of heroin.”
The charges were not part of a single organized ring, though some of the arrests were connected.
Compared to this time last year, Outlaw said the neighborhood is experiencing an overall decrease in fatal shootings and violence since the Strategic Response Team intervened.
“The early results of this partnership is more evidence that gun violence and drug trafficking go hand in hand,” added Shapiro.