Hazleton chief announces drug arrests, including alleged ‘leader’ of trouble

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HAZLETON — A man believed to be a “leader” of the trouble that has plagued one city street is now behind bars and police are hoping his arrest and two others will send a clear message.

Leo Carlos Rosario, 21, of North Vine Street, Hazleton, surrendered to police Friday on felony drug-dealing charges, according to Chief Jerry Speziale.

“He’s been a problem,” said the chief.

Rosario is accused of selling heroin and fentanyl on Alter Street, an area of the city that has become synonymous with drug dealing and has been the target of an ongoing police crackdown.

The chief said Rosario was known to frequent Alter and had been under surveillance in the wake of several well-publicized incidents on the street where he was present. That includes an episode in the wee hours of July 5 where Mayor Jeff Cusat and Speziale were confronted by an “out-of-control” mob of about 75 people.

During that chaotic scene, someone threw a lit firework under a police cruiser that went off and charred the vehicle. Another person tried to grab Speziale’s gun while struggling with the chief.

Rosario is not facing charges for the July 5 melee, but authorities have had him on their radar.

“He was one of our main targets of the Alter Street disturbances that date back months,” said Cusat. “This shows we know who the players are.”

Police believe Rosario threw a water bottle at the mayor one day last summer and was also present for Halloween mischief where people dressed as zombies stopped Alter Street traffic and jumped on vehicles.

For now, Rosario is facing a felony drug count of possession with intent to deliver for an alleged drug sale Dec. 12. He was locked up for lack of $25,000 cash bail.

Speziale also noted that Rosario was out on bail for a felony burglary case from Hazleton in March.

The chief described him as not necessarily a gang member, but someone with “some sort of stature” within a loosely based network that Speziale calls a “community cluster.”

“They act like a gang. They look like a gang. They have all the characteristics of a gang,” said Speziale. There is “always a group of them that are together and one has more stature than the other.”

He noted that Rosario seemed to frequently give direction to other people known to cause problems on a notorious stretch of Alter between Diamond Avenue and Fifth Street.

Two more arrests

In addition to Rosario’s arrest, police said Saturday they apprehended two more people accused of drug activity in the Alter Street area.

Anthony Andrews, 26, of Hazle Township, is accused of selling heroin, fentanyl and methamphetamine on Feb. 4. He turned himself in Friday afternoon, the chief reported.

Meanwhile, fugitive Luis Mundo was captured without incident at a home on Washington Avenue in West Hazleton about 3:30 p.m. Saturday, according to Speziale.

Mundo, 60, is facing felony counts for allegedly selling heroin and fentanyl Dec. 12.

“These people have been disrupting Alter Street and have been the problem there,” said the chief. The arrests are “a step in the right direction.”

Of the ongoing police efforts, he noted: “We’re not going to stop. The message is definitely getting out there. We’ll be relentless in our pursuit to make that street safer.”

Mayor Cusat indicated the police department has big plans for the coming year.

“Now it’s time we start becoming even more aggressive in our goal of cleaning up the streets of Hazleton,” said the mayor. “In 2019, we have a lot of strategies to combat the nonsense that has been going on throughout the city.”

Several weeks ago, federal and state authorities joined county and local police in a wide-ranging crackdown across Hazleton that resulted in 16 arrests and multiple drug seizures.

The police action came on the heels on extensive Times Leader reporting on criminal activity in the city, a point which was referenced by District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis.

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Night editor Michael Reich can be reached at 570-991-6117.