Youngstown cops find $500K worth of heroin in East Side raid; man on run

YOUNGSTOWN

City vice squad members serving a search warrant Dec. 10 at a McHenry Street home as part of an investigation into crack-cocaine sales instead found about $500,000 worth of heroin, leading to the indictment of a man on drug-trafficking charges.

The amount of heroin, about 3 pounds, led Police Chief Robin Lees to call it the largest-ever heroin seizure in the city and the largest he has seen in more than 30 years in law enforcement.

Lees has spent a majority of his career investigating major narcotics crimes and said the most heroin he has seen seized at one time was a pound. The fact so much was found in the East Side home at one time is a sure sign of the demand and availability of the drug, he said.

“To find that amount of dope in a house like that just indicates the extent of the problem,” Lees said.

U.S. marshals are searching for the man who was the target of the warrant – Phillip Lemon, 27. Lees said marshals believe Lemon knows he is wanted and is on the run. He was not at the home when police served the warrant and has not been seen by police since.

Read more about the case in Saturday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.