Seven arrested in drug ring; three overdose deaths – News – News Eagle – Hawley, PA

A public warning on the dangers of heroin and fentanyl was carried in an announcement Jan. 31 of the bust of a major drug ring in Wayne and Pike Counties.

MILFORD – A public warning on the dangers of heroin and fentanyl was carried in an announcement Jan. 31 of the bust of a major drug ring in Wayne and Pike Counties. The drug trafficking resulted in the overdose death of at least three individuals in the local area.

A joint press conference was held in Milford by Wayne County District Attorney Patrick Robinson and Pike County District Attorney Raymond Tonkin, and PA State Police.  

They announced the arrest of seven individuals and an arrest warrant for another related to a drug ring that operated in both counties.

Arrested were Jessica Phillips, age 30, of Lackawaxen, Carley Liguori, age 27, of Blooming Grove, Diane Phillips, age 55, of Lackawaxen, Wendy Fuehrer, age 53, of Paupack Township, Wayne County, William Phillips, III, age 28, of Lackawaxen, Lauren Phillips, age 34, of Lackawaxen, and Charles Warnott, age 35, of Honesdale.  
Remaining at large is Francisco Abreu-Pena, age 44, last known address of the Bronx, NY, who D.A. Tonkin described as the ring leader.

The seven were committed to Pike County Correctional Facility.

New York City Police Department and New York State Police have been actively involved in tracking Abreu-Pena down to bring him back to Pike County and face justice.

Three of the eight defendants, Abreu-Pena, Fuehrer and Lauren Phillps, face charges related to the overdose deaths of the victims.

Diane Phillips is the mother of co-defendants, Lauren, William and Jessica Phillips. One of the three people who died from overdose linked to this case, Tonkin said, was Erin Phillips, also one of Diane’s daughters.

Five month probe

These arrests came about after a five month long investigation. The Pennsylvania State Police Vice unit, and the county detectives from each county led the probe, assisted by the Pike County and Wayne County Coroner’s Office, New York State Police and Pike County Sheriff’s Department. Both district attorneys highly praised the Vice Unit members for their undercover work.

“I am very proud to be associated with this investigation,” D. A. Robinson said. “… I want to emphasize,these nuckle-heads, for lack of a better word, have no respect for county boundaries, state boundaries or any other kind of boundary, and it takes a cooperative effort like has been put forward in this case to bring these people to justice.”

The trials,he said, will be handled jointly by District Attorney Tonkin and himself. Charges were filed in Pike County, where the cases will be tried.

Drugs from Mexico

According to the affidavit of probable cause filed in support of the charges Pennsylvania State Police investigators used controlled purchases of fentanyl/heroin, search warrants, electronic surveillance and witness interviews to build the case against the drug ring.  The affidavit indicates a belief of the participants that the fentanyl/heroin was coming from Mexico, and that they traveled to Indianapolis, Indiana to pick it up.

The investigation began in August of 2018 with a series of purchases of fentanyl and heroin from William Phillips, III, in Lackawaxen and Blooming Grove Townships, the affidavit states.  During two of the purchases by an informant, Carley Liguori drove William Phillips to the place set to meet for the sale of the fentanyl/heroin. One at least one occasion, Liguori brought along her five-year old son.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, investigators made a purchase of fentanyl heroin from Diane Phillips at a residence in Lackawaxen.

In September, William Phillips was arrested after a search warrant found over seven grams of heroin/fentanyl in his possession.  Jessica Phillips was also arrested in September on a probation violation.  

Drug death in Lackawaxen

Later in September, State Police investigators from Blooming Grove and the Pike County Coroner’s Office responded to a residence in Lackawaxen for a drug overdose. There they discovered Kyle Ackerson, age 34, of Lackawaxen deceased. An autopsy concluded that Ackerson had fentanyl, a metabolite of cocaine and alcohol in his system. Pike County Coroner ruled Ackerson’s death as a result of mixed substance toxicity. Investigators were able to make an undercover purchase of fentanyl from an individual. From there investigators obtained new leads on the source of the fentanyl coming into Wayne and Pike Counties. They learned that Francisco Abreu-Pena of the Bronx was bringing in quantities of fentanyl from New York City.

Through further investigation, investigators were later able to link the drugs used by Ackerson to Abreu-Pena and Wendy Fuehrer.

Two more deaths by overdose

On October 15, 2018, troopers from the Blooming Grove State Police barracks responded to a residence in Lackawaxen for a possible drug overdose. When they arrived Kyle Messinetti, age 26, was transported to Wayne Memorial Hospital. Messinetti was pronounced dead at the hospital.  Wayne County Coroner Edward Howell ordered an autopsy. The autopsy showed that Messinetti died from the pharmacologic effects of fentanyl.

On November, 7, 2018, Pennsylvania State Police Investigators responded to a report of a possible overdose death in Paupack Township, Wayne County at 27 Maple Street, the home of Wendy Fuehrer.  There investigators discovered Erin Phillips, age 32, the sibling of Jessica, Lauren and William Phillips, III, deceased.  Wayne County Coroner Edward Howell responded and had an autopsy completed. After the autopsy Phillips’ death was ruled as a result of the pharmacologic effects of fentanyl and cocaine.  

Investigators learned that Abreu-Pena had been at the home with Erin Phillips and came out of the room where she was found and told a witness she was not breathing, and that Abreu-Pena thought she was dead.  Abreu-Pena then hurriedly left the residence.

In December 2018 investigators made a purchase of suspected fentanyl/heroin from Lauren Phillips in Lackawaxen.

Arrest warrants issued

Earlier this month, troopers obtained arrest warrants for Jessica Philips, Lauren Phillips, Diane Phillips and William Phillips, III and Carly Liguori. According to the affidavits, Jessica Phillips told investigators that on September 10, 2018, she asked Charles Warnott to obtain fentanyl/heroin form Abreu-Pena in the Bronx and bring it back to her at a residence in Wayne County.  According to Phillips, Warnott obtained 80 grams of fentanyl/heroin and brought it to her that night.  Phillips went on to tell investigators that she obtained quantities of fentanyl/heroin on a regular basis from Abreu-Pena to resell in the area.

Lauren Phillips told investigators that the day prior to Kyle Messinetti’s death she received a message from him asking if she wanted any “addies”, which Phillips understood to be Adderall.  She then met with Messinetti and traded him some fentanyl for the Adderall.  Phillips told investigators that the fentanyl she traded with Messinetti was fentanyl she had received from Abreu-Pena.

Warning to the public

Tonkin commented that fentanyl is “far deadlier” than heroin. “It is really the fentanyl in some of these mixtures that is leading to the cause of these deaths,” he said. “These individuals who push this know they are really pushing death.”

“It is very important to have the message out that law enforcement is going to cooperate across county lines, and we really are not going to tolerate these pushers pushing death on our streets, that is causing the death of these individuals,” he warned. Those involved in these criminal activities, he stressed, need to be aware there will be a combined, relentless pursuit to end their activities and bring them to justice.

“It is also important for the users out there to understand that there is help available to them and fentanyl is here in Pike and Wayne Counties, and could lead to their death if they use a bag of what they believe to be heroin, but contains fentanyl… We encourage users to go to the appropriate place for their addiction.”

Robinson stated that typically a drug trafficker will buy a quantity of drugs, at say $500, use $250 worth and sell the other $250 worth for $500, and then go back to the supplier for more. “That’s not what we have here,” Robinson said. “This is a sure-enough, big-time drug dealer.”

Tonkin stated that another arrest is anticipated in this case, and in the near future, further arrests can be expected linked to other deaths.

……

These are the charges filed as of Jan.31, 2019:
1: Francisco Abreu-Pena – Bronx, NY
Charges:

Drug delivery resulting in death, 3 counts;
Charges Related to Deceased Kyle Ackerson, Kyle Messinetti and Erin Phillips
Conspiracy drug delivery resulting in death, 1 count
Delivery of a controlled substance, 4 counts;
Conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance, 1 count;
Criminal use of a communication facility, 1 count

2: Wendy Fuehrer

Drug delivery resulting in death, 2 counts;
Charges Related to Deceased Kyle Ackerson and Erin Phillips
Conspiracy drug delivery resulting in death, 2 counts
Delivery of a controlled substance, 1 counts;
Conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance, 1 count;
Criminal use of a communication facility, 1 count
$250,000.00 Bail
Preliminary hearing scheduled February 13, 2019 before Magisterial District Judge Alan B. Cooper

3: Lauren Phillips

Drug delivery resulting in death, 1 counts;
Charge Related to Deceased Kyle Messinetti
Conspiracy drug delivery resulting in death, 1 counts
Delivery of a controlled substance, 2 counts;
Conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance, 1 count;
Criminal use of a communication facility, 1 count
$100,000.00 Bail
Preliminary hearing scheduled February 13, 2019 before Magisterial District Judge Alan B. Cooper

4: Jessica Phillips

Conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance, 1 count;
Criminal use of a communication facility, 1 count;
Possession of a controlled substance, 1 count
$100,000.00 bail
Waived preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge Alan Cooper on January 30, 2019

5: William E. Phillips, III

Delivery of a controlled substance, 6 counts;
Criminal conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance, 1 count;
Criminal use of a communication facility, 1 count;
Endangering the welfare of a child, 1 count
$100,000.00 Bail
Waived preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge Alan Cooper on January 30, 2019

6: Carly Liguori

Delivery of a controlled substance, 2 counts
Criminal conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance, 2 counts
Endangering welfare of a child, 1 count
$100,000.00 Bail
Waived preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge Alan Cooper on January 30, 2019

7: Diane Phillips

Delivery of a controlled substance, 1 count;
Conspiracy to deliver controlled substance, 1 count
Criminal use of a communication facility, 1 count
$15,000.00 Bail
Waived preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge Alan Cooper on January 30, 2019

8: Charles Warnott

Delivery of a controlled substance, 1 count;
Criminal conspiracy to deliver controlled substance, 1 count;
100,000.00 Bail
Preliminary hearing scheduled February 13, 2019 before Magisterial District Judge Alan Cooper

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HELP FOR DRUG & ALCOHOL ISSUES
Help is available locally:

Wayne County Drug & Alcohol Commission 570-253-6022
Catholic Social Services of Pike County 570-296-1054
Pyramid Healthcare Inc., 2515 Route 6 Suite B, Hawley, PA 18428; call 888-694-9996 pyramidhealthcarepa.com

IF YOU SUSPECT CRIMINAL DRUG ACTIVITY
Report tips about suspected drug crimes to:

Wayne County District Attorney’s Office at 570-253-4912
Pike County District Attorney’s Office Detective bureau at 570-296-3482