Tamaqua Police file drug charges

Tamaqua Police reported on the following drug-related incidents:

• Ryan Michael Ellis, 26, of Center Street, Tamaqua, has been charged with possession of drug paraphernalia following a disturbance call in Tamaqua on Jan. 9. Police were called to an apartment in the 200 block of Center Street at 3:02 p.m., where they found Ellis with a syringe in plain sight. Ellis admitted the syringe was his, which led officers to search his drawstring bag. The bag contained an additional syringe, two grinders with marijuana residue, a broken bowl and a red bag containing a white residue.

• Frank Galluccio, 31, of Rolling Mill Avenue, Tamaqua was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia after he was found to be in possession of a syringe on Feb. 17. Officers were called to the area of Mauch Chunk Street and Schuylkill Avenue at 2:01 p.m. for a man who was acting erratically. It was Galluccio, who was yelling at passing vehicles. While speaking with him, the officer observed Galluccio remove a syringe from his left pocket and attempt to conceal it behind a railing. When confronted, he admitted it was his and that he used it to inject heroin.

•Three people were charged with possession of marijuana after a traffic stop on Feb. 8. An officer was on patrol, westbound on Broad Street, when he passed a black Mercedes SUV with a strong odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle. The SUV was stopped and the occupants identified as Ashley Morges-Castro, 28, of Pottsville; Rahman Herrera, 40, no town listed; and Kimberly Jayne Halye, 32, of Tamaqua. Hayle and Herrera handed the officer a bowl and an orange plastic container containing marijuana. A search of the vehicle was made and a Puma bag with six red containers containing marijuana was found. At first no one admitted to owning the bag, but Halye eventually said it was hers. All three were advised they would be charged for the marijuana and the drug paraphernalia.