Escaped Prisoner Leads Police to Drug Haul

NORTH PHILADELPHIA (WTXF) - An escaped prisoner led police to a major drug haul in North Philadelphia.

Officers uncovered hundreds of thousands of dollars in heroin, cash and weapons in a garage on the 900 block of West Russell street. Investigators say a major heroin packaging operation was working out of the garage.

Police discovered this while chasing 19-year-old Lamic Conde, an escaped prisoner and suspect in a nearby shooting on l street moments earlier.

Inside the garage, in plain view, police found 14,000 packets of heroin worth close to $400,000. They also found $15,000 in cash, a handgun and two assault weapons, including one equipped with a bump stock, similar to the one used by Las Vegas gunman Stephen Paddock.

The bump stock allows a semi-automatic rifle to fire like an automatic weapon, 400 to 800 rounds per minute. Sources say the weapon inside the garage also had armor piercing bullets.

Police are still looking for conde. They expect to charge those connected to the heroin operation. They may also be linked to a pair of recent shootings on Hope and Waterloo streets, where sources say a drug turf war is underway.