Thirty-five people were criminally charged Tuesday after a monthslong investigative operation targeting the drug market in Norristown, Pennsylvania, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said in a news release.
Hundreds of pages of court documents show how “Operation Cocaine Goldmine” used wiretaps, confidential informants, controlled buys and other surveillance to track three drug trafficking organizations in Norristown — the county seat — from late 2024 to June 2025.
Steele said the investigation took place as opioid and fentanyl use declined, but “cocaine and crack cocaine…[experienced] a resurgence, in part due to the dramatic decline in wholesale cocaine prices.”…