Two Men Arrested in the City for Alleged Narcotics Trafficking | News

WILLIAMSPORT -- Two men were arrested and committed to Lycoming County Prison on Saturday, August 19, after police raided an apartment on Glenwood Avenue and found marijuana, traces of heroin and paraphernalia.

According to an affidavit by a Williamsport Bureau of Police officer, he was patrolling the 400 block of Glenwood Avenue, a known narcotics trafficking area, around 10:46 a.m. The officer noticed a gray Dodge Charger rental car with a Georgia license plate parked in front of an apartment building known for narcotics trafficking. The officer had observed the vehicle driving through the 700 block of Center Street, also a known narcotics area, moments before.

As the officer pulled in front of the apartment building on Glenwood, he observed Hakiem Khalid Price, 31, of Williamsport, coming out of the apartment building and recalled having contact with him in the past for previous charges.   When Price saw the officer, he put his hands in the air and went to the car to get his cell phone. Upon confronting Price, the officer asked him if the rental car lease was in his name. Price said it was in his cousin's name. When the officer said his name must be on the lease to drive the car, Price then allegedly changed the story to say his name was on it. However, he could not provide a copy of the lease to the officer and was handcuffed. A call to the rental car company confirmed that the rental car agreement was not in Price's name, according to the affidavit. The officer related that people often use a third party to obtain a rental car for drug trafficking.

Additional units were called and once the other officers arrived, several occupants from the apartment building opened their doors and began recording the incident with Price on their cell phones. At that time, the officer noticed a strong smell of marijuana coming from one of the apartments, according to the affidavit. He approached the door of the apartment and the three women inside allegedly closed and locked the door. The officers called the landlord several times, but could not reach him. 

When the officers approached the door again, they heard footsteps running toward the rear of the apartment and concluded evidence was being destroyed, according to the affidavit. The officers knocked on the door and announced their presence as they asked the occupants to open the door, but did not get a response. The sergeant  granted the officers permission to force the door open due to the "exigent circumstance," according to the affidavit.  Once the officers opened the door, they saw three women ran into the kitchen as Warren Raheem Dogan, 25, of Philadelphia, allegedly exited through the rear of the apartment. The officers also knew Dogan to be associated with narcotics trafficking.

Once inside, the officers found clear packaging materials, digital scales, a kitchen sifter with white residue and a large amount of money in plain view. They obtained a search warrant and also found 125 grams of marijuana, most of it packaged for sale. The majority of the marijuana was found in a backpack that was thrown out a window. They also recovered a bag with xanax pills, heroin packaging material and and more than a half dozen cell phones recovered from Price. In addition, they found heroin on the toilet seat and on the floor around the toilet as well as a straw with residue on one end.

Dogan and Price were arraigned in front of District Magistrate William C. Solomon on charges of narcotics possession, paraphernalia possession and possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver. Both are are jail in lieu of $500,000 straight bail.

In the past year, Price also was charged with simple assault, theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property and marijuana possession. He also had charges of possession with intent to deliver in 2010.