|
Read News
|
Pocono News Section
New Cell Phone Law Aims to Stop Drug Dealers
New Cell Phone Law Aims to Stop Drug Dealers - Tuesday, July 15, 2008 at 5:40PM EST
Reported by: Andy Mehalshick
Tuesday, Jul 15, 2008 @ 05:40pm EST
A move is underway in Harrisburg to break the connection between drug dealers using a certain kind of cell phone. The cell phones we’re talking about are those prepaid phones. Drug dealers can buy them and never fear about being tracked down, but that could soon change.
The scene is all to familiar. Police confiscate drugs, cash, weapons and cell phones at just about every drug operation. And they will tell you that the cell phone of choice for drug dealers are those prepaid phones you can buy with cash.
They can use them without the fear of being traced. Now enter State Representative Eddie Day Pashinski of Luzerne County. He has introduced a bill that could make drug dealing more of a challenge.
"Well House Bill 2371 will require anyone who’s going to purchase a cell phone with cash to provide certain identification. Right now you can purchase these cell phones with check, cash bank ATM card, with no problem whatsoever," said Pashinski.
Corporal Bill Feissner of the Luzerne County Drug Task Force thinks the new law could make a difference. But he's realistic. "Well in law enforcement we all know for every law there is a way around it. Drug dealers, the criminal element, will find a way however. Having a name associated with the phone number is at least a beginning for us with name and address."
Dave Basala is a cell phone dealer in the Hazleton area. He agrees it’s a start, but admits the bad guys know how to adapt. "I think it’s good, a great idea. I was reading information in the paper yesterday, people are cloning our phones to use them for drug trafficking. And with prepaid phones there’s no contract, no way to track the people using the phones."
A house committee is debating the bill this week. One of their concerns is even they pass a tough new law, these drug dealers can simply cross state lines and buy the phones somewhere else, unless nearby state pass similar laws.
But most agree it’s at least worth talking about, putting another obstacle in the way of drug dealers. | | |
|
|
|