Narcotics Enforcement
Narcotics Enforcement
The Berks County Narcotics Team is the drug enforcement arm of the Berks County District Attorney's Office. The team's mission is to investigate drug trafficking organizations, violations of the Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act, firearms trafficking offenses, prostitution, human trafficking, illegal gambling, and other organized criminal activities occurring throughout the City of Reading and Berks County. The Berks County Narcotics Team assists the Reading Police Department Vice and Narcotics Section, the Pennsylvania State Police Vice Unit, and all municipal police departments throughout Berks County with drug, firearms, and violent crime investigations.
In 2016, the District Attorney's Office established the Berks County Human Trafficking Task Force. In 2024, the Office established the Berks County Gun Violence Reduction Task Force. These specialized task forces are supervised by Lieutenant Nelson Ortiz, who reports directly to Chief County Detective Michael J. Gombar.
The Berks County Narcotics Team consists of eleven detectives and one civilian Intelligence Analyst. Personnel are divided into two investigative groups under the supervision of Sergeant Pasquale Leporace and Sergeant George Taveras. Each sergeant supervises five detectives. The Berks County Human Trafficking Task Force is led by Sergeant George Taveras, while the Berks County Gun Violence Reduction Task Force is led by Sergeant Pasquale Leporace and Corporal Darren Smith.
The Berks County Narcotics Team has personnel assigned to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with offices located in Allentown and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. One detective is assigned to the Pennsylvania State Police Auto Theft Task Force. Collectively, the Berks County Drug Task Force, Human Trafficking Task Force, and Gun Violence Reduction Task Force include more than 75 participating law enforcement officers, including federal agents, state troopers, county detectives, and municipal police officers. The Berks County Detectives possess extensive experience and specialized training in drug enforcement, violent crime investigations, electronic surveillance, photography, video documentation, and physical surveillance techniques. All detectives are certified as Class A Electronic Surveillance Officers, and three detectives are additionally certified as Class B Electronic Surveillance Officers pursuant to Chapter 57 of Title 18 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes. Six detectives have been qualified as expert witnesses in drug identification and narcotics investigations in the Berks County Court of Common Pleas, and four detectives have been qualified as expert witnesses in the United States District Court. One detective is qualified as an expert in cell-site analysis and geolocation data. Additionally, four detectives are certified Remote Pilots by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to operate unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), commonly referred to as drones.
