It’s been a busy week for meth busts across WNY, with 10 people facing drug charges and two meth labs broken up.
It started Tuesday, when police in Albion were executing a search warrant over a burglary. Authorities say inside an East Bank Street home, they found property stolen from Vape Shop, meth and a meth lab. That led to the search of a vehicle, where police say more stolen property was recovered.
Seven people were arrested in this bust, including:
Tara Ryan, 19, and Nicholas Barrett, 19; both are facing charges related to meth and meth production
Ryan Adkins, 22; Maja Pugh, 19, Bridgette Fronczak-Reilly, 19; and Shane DiPilato, 18; who are also facing charges related to meth and meth production
Zachary Deville, 22; who is facing charges related to theft and burglary
Authorities say additional arrests and charges are pending.
Later on Tuesday, around 6pm, two adults and three children, including a 10-month-old child, were taken to the hospital when an alleged meth lab was discovered on Ridge Road in Newfane.
Deputies say a neighbor called for help when two children came to her home saying they could not wake their parents. Officers say they found Brittany Blenker, 26, and Joshua Hoefer, 33, sleeping in a back bedroom. Authorities say the pair had been making meth.
The home was evacuated. Blenker, Hoefer, the two children and a baby that was sleeping in a separate room were taken to the hospital.
Blenker and Hoefer are charged with endangering the welfare of a child. Additional charges are pending.
Also on Tuesday, deputies say they received a report that a man had meth inside a home on East Marvin Street in the Village of Mayville. Officers say they determined Dennis Topliffe, 35, had four ounces of liquid meth.
Topliffe was found the following day in the Town of Sheridan, where he was arrested and charged with possessing meth.
Finally, on Friday, police in Dunkirk say they found meth during a traffic stop on Pelican Street.
Officers pulled over a suspicious vehicle. Inside was 30-year-old Nicholas Shelley. Police say he turned over a bag of white powder during questioning, saying it was heroin. But tests showed it was meth.
Authorities say he had several other large bags of meth that was packaged for sale. He’s facing charges for possessing meth and drug paraphernalia.
