SCRANTON, Pa. — A boarded-up building in North Scranton was the center of a nearly year-long investigation into what authorities say is an upsurge in gang activity seen across Lackawanna County.
On Tuesday, The Lackawanna County District Attorney's Office announced the arrest of 9 people in connection with a large drug trafficking operation run by the CRIPS street gang.
"The arrests we are announcing in the seizures of large quantities of drugs, weapons and cash, and other instruments of criminal enterprise are the result of an 11-month investigation," said District Attorney Mark Powell.
Powell says the investigation, titled "Operation Blue Face," centered around the Blue Face Global Hookah Lounge, owned by Dwight Smith and Damion Williams.
Authorities say the property, which sits off North Main Avenue, has been a hotbed for criminal activity and violent crimes for years.
In 2019, a man was killed outside the building, back when it was known as the Castle after-hours club.
"They were always under law enforcement's eyes, and when they continued to violate or conduct themselves in a similar fashion as the previous owners," said Powell. "We conducted the investigation that has been going on now since January of 2024."
Along with the arrests, authorities seized large amounts of cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl, and ecstasy pills, a pill press, several handguns, and approximately $8,000.
For some Scrantonians- the news comes as a sigh of relief.
"They get transported from one side of the city to the other, and it affects the whole city," said Mike Mancini of Scranton. "The business is probably one of many that need to be truly looked at. Because, you know, with the ongoing issues that we're having, a business like this needs to be shut down."
Mancini is a member of the West Scranton Crime Watch.
Like many of the other residents, he says Scranton and Lackawanna County are no place for gang activity.
"This is a large bust; this is one of many," said Mancini. "If you continue to peddle drugs and guns on our streets, the District Attorney's office is gonna get you a state police, Attorney General's office, and our local law enforcement."
As the lounge sits closed, police say they will continue to address the problem.
"We're united against the gangs, against the guns, against the drugs," said Scranton Police Chief Thomas Carroll. "We will continue to listen to our citizens, and we will do what is necessary to protect our community."
The District Attorney's Office says a criminal investigation is ongoing.