YPD finds large amount of drugs in two homes

January 27, 2017 at 12:02a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Typically, police say, it’s a case of “one or the other” when serving search warrants at homes and investigating drug activity.

They’ll find a large amount of drugs or a large amount of cash, but rarely both.

Wednesday, however, officers from the vice squad and the Community Police Unit seized 22 pounds of marijuana and more than $6,500 cash while serving a search warrant about 4:55 p.m. at a home at 346 Rockview Ave.

Taken into custody there was Malcolm North, 36, who lists the home as his address. Because of the large amount of drugs and cash found, police also seized a Mercedes-Benz and a Cadillac Escalade. The vehicles could be forfeited to authorities at a later date if it is found they were purchased with money from selling drugs.

Earlier in the day at a home on Oxford Avenue, police found 0.29 grams of cocaine, enough for a first-degree felony charge. Taken into custody in that case were Brian Niznik, 44, of Struthers and Charles Crosby, 24, who lists the home as his address.

North, Cross and Niznik are expected to be arraigned today in municipal court.

Both warrants began after investigations were completed by the vice squad via tips generated by the Community Police Unit.

Detective Sgt. Pat Kelly, head of the CPU, said citizen complaints about drug houses are common. He said the only complaints that are more common are ones about blighted properties.

When the CPU receives a complaint, Kelly said he assigns it to the officer responsible for that area of town. The officer then gets the paperwork for the house to learn who owns or leases it and who pays the utilities and gives it to the vice squad, which investigates the house for drug activity.

Lt. Gerard Slattery, head of the vice squad, said it is not unusual to find a large amount of drugs or cash but to find both at one time – as on Rockview Avenue – is unusual. Slattery said the marijuana has a street value of about $35,000, and coupled with the large amount of cash seized, someone’s pocketbook will be hurting for a while.

“This is nothing to sneeze at,” Slattery said.

Slattery said that just like all businesses, drug dealers budget in losses of product and profit to arrests or seizures.

“They have that in their budget,” Slattery said.

Kelly said he hopes the results from Wednesday’s raids encourage more people to reach out to the Community Police Unit.

“The citizens are starting to trust us more, and seeing how much drugs we got out of these houses, hopefully it snowballs from there,” Kelly said.