TAMAQUA -- A round up of suspected drug dealers and users took place Monday morning in the Tamaqua area.
More than two dozen people face charges.
The police chief in Tamaqua tells Newswatch 16 what happened Monday is only a short-term fix.
Some were brought in alone. Some were handcuffed and brought into the Tamaqua police station in groups. They all have something in common: all were charged with drug crimes in and around the Tamaqua area.
The police chief says the suspects were not part of an organized ring, but they all had a hand in dealing and using meth, heroin, and prescription painkillers like Percocet.
The chief adds this needed to be done, but he shared his frustration.
"They're right back the next day," said Tamaqua Police Chief Rick Weaver. "It slows down for a couple of days, maybe a week, and then they're right back in the groove."
The chief thinks rehabilitation and continued crackdowns are the answer.
"It's very frustrating. We're losing the war on drugs, no question," Weaver said.
The chief says meth is being made in homes. Still more is coming in from Mexico. Heroin is coming in from Hazleton, Reading, and other areas.
"The bulk of the crimes, as you would expect, are dealing heroin, meth, marijuana, opiates," said Schuylkill County District Attorney Christine Holman.
"I'm glad that they waited so they can get a handful, instead of just picking out that one guy. So they are doing their job in Tamaqua. They really are," said resident Wandie Little.
While some in Tamaqua are comforted by this sweep of suspected drug dealers off their streets, some police are shy about celebrating this as a victory.
"Rehabilitation is the answer, long term, for heroin. It's just too readily available. The drugs are here. I mean, every week we make drug arrests, I mean every single week!" the chief said.
Most of those rounded up in the sweep appeared to be young, in their 20s.
Some in Tamaqua hope rehabilitation will be the answer.
"We need some more treatment centers for these kids, I think," said Bob McAloose of Tamaqua.
The chief adds there were four drug overdoses just this past weekend, a dozen in the last month. He hopes something can be done to stop the illegal drug epidemic.
