William Alling 
Dec. 3., 1994 
William C. Alling, Of Mount Zion, Died Saturday In Wilkes-barre General 
Hospital.

American Public Should Not Be Fooled By Those Who Bad-mouth Gatt 
I Disagree With The Anti-gatt Letter Which Is, In Reality, An Anti-free-trade 
Letter Written By Mike Thomas (nov. 26).

By ANTHONY COLAROSSI; Times Leader Staff Writer
 Sunday, December 04, 1994 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1A 





NANTICOKE -- Police seized 15 pounds of marijuana, more than $25,000 and
two assault weapons and arrested two alleged dealers in what they called one
of the largest drug busts conducted in Luzerne County. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The 12 pounds of marijuana the city Narcotics Unit confiscated from Michael
J. Ascenzi's home in the 300 block of West Union Street represent the largest
drug seizure in city history, said city police Chief Chester Zaremba. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Ascenzi, 30, was arrested after 11 Nanticoke officers raided his home about
10:50 p.m. Friday night. He offered no resistance, police said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 District Justice Martin Kane lodged Ascenzi in the Luzerne County
Correctional Facility for lack of $40,000 bail. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Joseph Moran, 26, of Broad Street, Pittston Township, was arrested in
Pittston several minutes before Ascenzi, when he was found with 3 pounds of
marijuana he had picked up from Ascenzi's home, police said. Kane sent him to
the county prison for lack of $30,000 bail. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The bales of marijuana seized at Ascenzi's home are worth more than
$24,000, police said. They also seized $25,657, two semiautomatic assault
rifles, three handguns, a scale and plastic bags to package the drugs for
sale. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "These are the tools of his trade," Zaremba said, pointing to the display
of seized materials. "It shows the product, the profit and how he protects it.
It's the largest seizure of drugs and cash in the history of the city of
Nanticoke." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The officers would not say from where the drugs originated. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Nanticoke police, Pittston city police, the state attorney general's
office, the Mid-Valley Drug Task Force and the Upper Luzerne-Lower Lackawanna
Counties Drug Task Force cooperated in the several-month-long investigation
leading to the arrests. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "He is allegedly a large-scale dealer for this area," said Francis P. Sempa
cq , the deputy state attorney general who visited the display. Sempa said his
office helped fund the operation, which cost several thousand dollars in
officer undercover work and overtime. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 On Friday, officers followed Moran from Pittston to Ascenzi's house and
then trailed his 1977 Ford Bronco back to Pittston. Once Moran stopped at a
city traffic light, police confiscated the marijuana he was carrying and
arrested him, said Pittston Chief Ed Doran. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "There's no doubt we took these drugs away from children," Doran said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Moran's arrest allowed Nanticoke police, who were notified immediately, to
obtain a search warrant from the district attorney's office, get it signed by
District Justice Donald Whittaker and enter Ascenzi's house, all in a matter
of minutes, Doran said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We just needed the probable cause to get inside," Doran said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Zaremba took part in the Nanticoke raid. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Officer safety is paramount in an entry, and this was a very high-risk
entry last night," he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 When the officers entered the house, however, Ascenzi surrendered without a
fight. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "He really didn't say anything; he just submitted," Zaremba said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The investigation is continuing, and police declined to say whether more
arrests are expected. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Obviously this was not a one-man operation," Zaremba said. "There'll
probably be some sleepless nights in the Valley because of what we've got
here." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Ascenzi's preliminary hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Dec. 12, before
District Justice Whittaker. Ascenzi was charged with possession of a
controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver and possession of drug
paraphernalia. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Moran's preliminary hearing is before District Justice Fred Pierantoni at 2
p.m. Wednesday. Moran was charged with possession with intent to deliver a
controlled substance. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Each faces up to five years in prison and a $15,000 fine on the
possession-with-intent-to-deliver charges, police said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 TIMES LEADER/BOB ESPOSITO &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Nanticoke Police Chief Chester Zaremba, left, and other local police
display a cache of drugs, weapons and cash seized from a Nanticoke home Friday
night. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Michael Ascenzi &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Drug Seizure Called Largest In Nanticoke Two Men Arrested After Police Confiscate More Than $24,000 Worth Of Marijuana From Home