Welcome to Arrest Stories. A Lehigh County Commissioner was arrested at his workplace in a massive multi-state drug operation that authorities say involved over one hundred thousand dollars in cash and thousands of pounds of illegal substances. Here's what may have happened.
Zach Cole-Borghi found himself in handcuffs this Thursday at Bethlehem City Hall, where he worked as an open records officer. The arrest came as the culmination of a three-year investigation by Lehigh County's twelfth Investigating Grand Jury into what prosecutors describe as an interstate drug distribution ring.
The scope of this operation is staggering. Authorities executed twenty-six search warrants across four states including Pennsylvania, New York, Illinois, and Wisconsin. Officials seized more than one hundred thousand dollars in cash, cryptocurrency, over two thousand pounds of marijuana, THC liquid, cocaine, and various pills.
Perhaps most alarming, the Pennsylvania State Police Clandestine Laboratory Team dismantled two illegal laboratories within the Lehigh Valley that were manufacturing products containing THC. Twenty-two individuals were arrested in total, with suspects taken into custody as far away as Chicago and Wisconsin.
District Attorney officials revealed the investigation's breadth, stating "This is a wide-ranging, as I said, multi-jurisdictional investigation, which included people yesterday who were arrested in the City of Chicago and the State of Wisconsin." They added, "And there are warrants for people in multiple counties in Pennsylvania, as well as the state of New York, I believe the state of New Jersey, Philadelphia — so a wide-ranging conspiracy."
Cole-Borghi, who was elected county commissioner in November two thousand twenty-one, now faces an uncertain future. City officials confirmed he "is no longer an employee of the City of Bethlehem." County leadership expressed their concern, stating "We are deeply saddened to hear of recent unfortunate developments involving Lehigh County Commissioner Zach Cole-Borghi."
Court documents outlining the specific charges remain sealed. Cole-Borghi's bail was set at fifty thousand dollars, with preliminary hearings scheduled for September third at two p.m. at Lehigh County Central Court.
All suspects presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Do not take this report as factual, always verify facts. Thanks for watching Arrest Stories.