A Lancaster city man is charged with felony heroin-dealing and weapons offenses, after posting bail on two prior, separate sets of drug-dealing crimes.
Jose E. Gonzalez, 45, of East Fulton Street, was charged last week with two sets of offenses for having 283 bags of heroin and an AK-47 with a prohibited sound suppressor.
Detectives also found numerous magazines of ammunition, including a 75-round drum magazine.
In January, he was charged in Lancaster and Chester counties with dealing heroin. He posted $200,000 and $40,000 bail on those dockets – and continued to sell heroin, according to Lancaster County Drug Task Force detectives, who filed charges.
On Thursday, District Judge Bruce Roth set bail on the new charges at $5 million.
“In 25 years working in the criminal justice system, I have never seen a case where somebody out on bail on two separate felony drug cases gets arrested, yet again, with nearly 300 packets of heroin and an AK-47 rifle with a silencer,” Roth told Gonzalez at an arraignment hearing. “Simply stated, our community needs protected from the scourge of heroin.”
Roth, after setting bail at $2.5 million on each docket, asked Gonzalez if he had the means to post bail.
Gonzalez said, “Maybe.”
Roth told him it would have to be determined that the bail money, if posted, was “honest,” and not proceeds from drug sales.
As of Wednesday, Gonzalez hadn’t posted bail.
On June 14, detectives raided a Lancaster city apartment and found the rifle, ammunition, heroin, cash, and drug-packaging supplies.
Gonzalez is prohibited from possessing firearms due to a prior felony drug conviction.
In January, detectives found 1,800 bags of heroin, 56 grams of marijuana, and an amount of methamphetamine, along with $4,668 cash.
Gonzalez is presumed innocent.
MEDIA CONTACT: Brett A. Hambright, 717-295-2041; bhambright@co.lancaster.pa.us; Twitter: @BrettHambright