Major drug bust sheds light on heroin trade in the region

LAPORTE | A teenager who was allegedly paid $15 in gas to drive a drug dealer around to make deliveries of heroin in LaPorte could now face up to 30 years in prison.

Taylor Hensell, 19, of LaPorte and Warren Parker, 21, of Chicago, were arrested Thursday when police intercepted a drug deal in the 200 block of A Street in LaPorte, said Harlan Williams, commander of the LaPorte Metro Operations Unit.

Police said they seized crack cocaine and heroin with a street value of more than $4,000, enough to supply more than 100 customers, they said.

Parker is charged with two counts of dealing cocaine or a narcotic drug.

Hensell is charged with one count of aiding, inducing or causing dealing on cocaine or a narcotic drug.

The arrests are part of an ongoing effort to break up drug organizations from Chicago that started moving into LaPorte last summer, said Williams.

The groups hire dealers to go into surrounding communities to sell drugs, police said.

Traditionally, drug dealers in both counties are often addicts looking to fund their own habits or from Chicago who come here independently to make money.

Since Jan. 1, though, Williams said nine members of drug-dealing organizations have been taken into custody here while in just the past two weeks more than 13 others have been identified and could be arrested soon.

According to police, Hensell agreed to drive Parker to his customers after receiving only gas money.

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Major drug bust sheds light on heroin trade in the region