Bethlehem police have arrested four people in connection with a three-month drug investigation.
Police said they executed a search warrant on Friday, Feb. 20, at 3 Howard Place in Delmar where they discovered marijuana, cocaine, Hydrocodone pills and $5,700 in cash.
Ryans S. Flahsburg, Heather R. Ciccone, and Joshua M. Ciccone all 24 years of age were charged with felony counts of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance; fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance; third-degree criminal possession of marijuana; and a misdemeanor charge of second-degree criminally using drug paraphernalia.
All three lived in the Howard Place home.
Shawn.T. Flahsburg, 19, of 158 Hudson Ave. in Delmar, was charged with felony third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance. The Flahsburgs are brothers and the Ciccones are brother and sister.
During the search of the residence police seized approximately nine ounces of marijuana, three grams of cocaine, and 83 Hydrocodone pills, along with money, computers and cell phones.
Lieutenant Thomas Heffernan said the arrests were made using good police work.
`We also have information that the drug sales were tied to the high school and we believe they were selling to students there,` Heffernan said. `It’s an important arrest just for that reason alone.`
After being arraigned in Bethlehem Town Court by Justice Ryan Donovan, who signed off on the search warrant, all four were sent to the Albany County Correctional Facility without bail. Heffernan said they have since been moved to the county court’s jurisdiction and removed from the county jail.
`They live in a small house on a dead end street and we were looking at that residence and they were selling out of that residence,` Heffernan said. `It is normally a quite street but there were a number of people coming and going and that is something that we look for.`
Heffernan said unmarked police cars went to the house once a search warrant was signed and that Ryan Flahsburg and the Ciccones were home at the time of the search.
`The younger brother [Shawn Flahsburg] pulled in the driveway while we were there,` Heffernan said. `So all four were arrested the night of the search.`
A return court date was scheduled for March 17, at 4 p.m.
The investigation is still ongoing and police are asking anyone with additional information to contact the Bethlehem Police Department’s Detective Office at 439-9973.
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