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Illegal alien nabbed in Hazleton on drug charges

Wednesday, 22 November 2006
By L.A. TARONE
Standard-Speaker
A man in the country illegally is in Luzerne Country prison on drug charges after a series of undercover buys by the Hazleton Police Department.
When arrested, the man initially told police his name was Rafael Antonio Lora and that he was born in Puerto Rico, which would have made him an American citizen by birth.
However, police determined his real name was Carlos Peralta and that he was in the country illegally from the Dominican Republic.
In fact, the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement reported he’d been deported on July 22, 1999, and had “no record of legal re-entry.”
Peralta had already been arraigned at City Hall by District Judge Joseph Zola on the drug charges that led to his arrest when his true identity had been determined.
He was taken back to City Hall and re-arraigned shortly before midnight.
Zola amended the initial complaint, adding the charge of giving false information to law enforcement officials.
Plus, Peralta also has an outstanding warrant from New York City for failure to appear in court on a felony drug charge.
Initially, Zola set bail on the drug charges at $100,000 cash – meaning the entire amount had to be posted, rather than 10 percent as in normal cases. However, when he re-arraigned Peralta, Zola upped the bail, making the total $250,000 cash.
During his re-arraignment, which began at 11:26 p.m., Zola initially addressed him as “Mr. Lora.” He read him his Mirada rights again and asked whether he understood. The suspect said he did.
“I want you to understand you do not have to say anything to me,” Zola said, “but don’t dare lie to me.”
Zola then asked for his real name. He responded, “Carlos Peralta.”
“Are you here illegally?” Zola asked.
“Illegal,” Peralta answered.“You’re here illegally?” Zola asked. Peralta nodded. He added he bought the phony IDs he’d given to police “from somebody on the streets” in Hazleton.
Though he told Zola he had only a minor arrest in New York, for which she served three days of community service, police had compiled his arrest record.
During the second arraignment, an officer handed Zola a five-page document. Zola read off the charges listed on it. They included two assault convictions, several drug charges and a minor charge of leaving the scene of an accident.
“You must have forgotten about these,” Zola said.
In the initial arrest police seized 130 grams of crack cocaine and 100 grams of powdered cocaine. They put the street value at about $20,000. Also seized was $3,000 in cash.
Totaled, Peralta is facing eight counts each of delivery of a controlled substance and criminal use of a communications device; both felonies. He’s also charged with nine counts of simple possession and one count of possession with intent to deliver.
Plus he’s also facing one count of possession of drug paraphernalia and one count of evidence tampering, as police said he tried to slip a bag of crack into the separation between the back and bottom of the seat in the police car as he was under arrest and being taken to City Hall.
The drugs and money were seized from Peralta’s home, which police searched after getting a search warrant Tuesday afternoon. The haul was laid out in the evidence room downstairs at City Hall. Amidst the drugs and money was a small coil of string. Police said it was used by Peralta to hide the merchandise.
According to police, several bags were tied to the end of the string, which was tied to a wall electrical outlet. The drugs hung into the cavity in the wall – all covered by the plastic facing plate. The package was sniffed out by the police K-9 unit.
Police made undercover buys on Nov. 1, 2, 4, 8, 14 and 17, and three times Tuesday. According to the arrest affidavits, the first buy was arranged on the phone and happened at Laurel and Hemlock streets. Undercover agents bought five bags of crack for $100. The second buy was similarly arranged and happened at the same place. Again, undercover agents bought five bags of crack for $100.
The third buy happened two days later and a block west, at Church and Hemlock streets. This time, cops tried to buy 10 bags for $200, though Peralta threw in an extra bag as a bonus. The affidavit also states Peralta told one undercover agent he’d take care of him “no matter what he needed.” Subsequent buys were handled in the same manner.
The final buy happened just before 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. About 15 minutes earlier, an undercover agent called Peralta and said he wanted to buy crack. Peralta said to meet him and Church and Hemlock in about 10 minutes. After the buy was completed, police surrounded the car in which the deal was done and arrested him.
During his initial arraignment, Peralta sat motionless in handcuffs and shackles. He answered Zola in clear English, though in a low voice, barely above a whisper. He said he had no prior arrests, no children and no family in the area.
Peralta said he came to Hazleton from Lawrence, Mass., about three months ago. Before living in Lawrence for about a year, he said he’d lived in Manhattan for “two or three years.” Before that, he said, he lived in both “the Dominican (Republic) and Puerto Rico.”
When Zola asked his Social Security number, Peralta/Lora gave him one.
Police were suspicious of his ID from the start. One officer said that when he was arrested, Peralta gave police a Social Security card and an identification card from New York state, but neither the New York nor Social Security cards appeared to be real.
Zola set Peralta’s preliminary hearing for 9 a.m. Dec. 4 at Central Court in Wilkes-Barre.