3 Phila. Cops Charged With Partnering with Drug Dealers
KYW Newsradio Team Coverage
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Three Philadelphia police officers have been charged in a federal drug case, accused of conspiring with drug dealers to steal and distribute heroin.
KYW's Pat Loeb reports that Virginia Gibson (at lectern in photo), an assistant US attorney in Philadelphia, called it a "sad day for all of us in law enforcement in the city" to learn that three Philadelphia police officers have been charged with concocting a scheme to distribute stolen heroin while helping drug dealers avoid retribution from their suppliers.
According to Gibson the three defendants -- one officer from the 25th District and two from the 39th -- joined with alleged drug dealers after they had made a purchase of heroin.
Gibson says the officers stopped the dealers in a marked vehicle, in uniform, wearing their badges, then pretended to arrest them so they could obtain the heroin and then try to resell it. The fake arrests gave the drug dealers an alibi with their suppliers, according to the feds.
The person the cops tried to resell the drugs to, according to Gibson, was a DEA undercover agent.
The officers are identified as James Venziale and Mark Williams of the 39th District, both seven-year veterans of the force, and Robert Snyder of the 25th District, a four-year veteran. Snyder's wife, Christal, was also charged.
KYW's Paul Kurtz reports that the mayor and the police commissioner were both expressing their outrage over the officers' alleged behavior.
Mayor Nutter says he is disgusted by what he's heard and read:
"I am personally pissed off about this kind of behavior, and we will do anything that we possibly can to make sure that we continue to root out these kinds of individuals who perpetrate themselves as police officers and who are nothing more than the criminals that they've been associated with."
Police chief Charles Ramsey says all three officers will be fired and their badges will be melted down:
"This is a very, very bad case. All three officers did more than just disgrace their badge and betray their trust. They committed very, very serious crimes. And for that they should be punished to the fullest extent of the law."
Ramsey says the investigation is continuing and if it turns up more dirty cops, they will meet a similar fate.
The man who is the accused heroin supplier, Miguel Santiago (right), remained at large. He is described as a Hispanic male, 39 years of age, 5'6" tall, last known to be living in the 2000 block of East Auburn Street in Philadelphia.
Anyone with information on Santiago's whereabouts is asked to call the DEA at 215-861-3474, the FBI at 215-418-4000, or the Philadelphia Police Department.
Santiago should be considered armed and dangerous.
(Photo by KYW's Pat Loeb)
