Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Ferman announced the arrests of 27 suspected cocaine dealers, including Anthony Dennis, 39, a Montgomery Township man who owned a barber shop in Tredyffrin Township, Chester County, where the 30-month investigation had its roots.
Authorities said Dennis, who survived being shot five times during an incident in Philadelphia more than a year ago, ran the “A&L’s Heads Up” barber shop on Old Gulph Mill Road in the Wayne section of Tredyffrin. But the shop had little to no clients, and police believe it was a front from which Dennis ran a cocaine operation that enabled him to afford a $525,000 home on Thames Drive.
Tredyffrin police Superintendent Andrew Chambers said his officers suspected Dennis was running a cocaine operation based on drug possession arrests they made dating back to November 2008. Dennis had also been previously arrested on drug charges.
Tredyffrin police, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Attorney General’s Office began investigating Dennis, but were having trouble building a case, Ferman said. They partnered with Montgomery County’s Narcotics Enforcement Team in early 2010 and soon turned to wiretapping a member of Dennis’ network, who led them to him, his brother Michael Dennis, 34, and Dennis’ supplier, Samuel Marshall, 35, both of Philadelphia.
Police arrested Dennis and Marshall on May 18 of this year as Dennis tried to purchase 9 ounces of cocaine from Marshall for $9,000 in the parking lot of a Target on City Line Avenue. That day police raided 21 places in Montgomery, Chester and Philadelphia, seizing 4 pounds of cocaine worth abut $204,800 on the street, about 6.5 pounds of powders often used to cut the cocaine, 14 vehicles, a boat, $76,308 in cash, 12 guns and two bullet-proof vests.
Six suspects including the Dennis brothers and Marshall were sent to Montgomery County Prison that day. The Dennises are being held on $2 million bail, and Marshall on $1 million bail. Ferman said 21 more suspects were charged Tuesday.
Chambers said police were suspicious of Dennis’ activities before the investigation began because of prior arrests. Court records indicate that Dennis was arrested in Radnor in 1991 and by Tredyffrin police twice in 1992, all for aggravated assault charges, but in two cases the charges were dismissed and he was found not guilty in the third. Dennis was sentenced to 4½ to 10 years in prison later in 1992 for assault charges filed by Easttown police, according to court records. Aggravated assault charges were also dropped in Schuylkill County in 1993 and drug charges against him filed by Tredyffrin police were withdrawn in 2002. The other suspects also have previous drug and assault arrests as well.
In February 2008, Dennis moved from the Elkins Park section of Cheltenham to the home in Montgomery Township with his wife, Lisa Dennis. There was no answer at their door Wednesday.
Months later Dennis was shot twice during an incident in the city.
Philadelphia police said on June 20, 2008, Dennis was shot in the face and stomach during an altercation at 5606 Chew Ave. Three Philadelphia men have been charged with attempted murder in that case.
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