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Criminal Justice

Lehigh Co. Commissioner Zach Cole-Borghi charged in interstate drug ring

Dutt (right) and Cole-Borghi.JPG
Jay Bradley
/
LehighValleyNews.com
Lehigh County Commissioners Zach Cole-Borghi (left) has been charged following a three-year grand jury investigation into an interstate drug ring.

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Lehigh County Commissioner Zach Cole-Borghi has been arrested following a grand jury investigation into an interstate drug ring, Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan announced Friday.

Holihan said Cole-Borghi, Bethlehem’s open records officer, was arrested Thursday afternoon at Bethlehem City Hall. He was one of 22 people taken into custody as part of a three-year investigation.

Bethlehem Human Resources Director Michelle Cichocki issued this statement Friday: "The only information that I can provide is that Zach Cole-Borghi is no longer an employee of the City of Bethlehem."

Other arrests took place in Lehigh County, Montgomery County, Northampton County, Philadelphia, New York City, Chicago and Wisconsin, Holihan said. He did not identify other suspects but said they will be due in Lehigh County Court on Sept. 3 for their preliminary hearings.

Along with the series of arrests, authorities also seized more than $100,000 in cash; cryptocurrency; at least 25 firearms, including ghost guns and semi-automatic rifles; 2,000 pounds of marijuana; THC liquid; cocaine; and MDMA pills, also known as molly. State police also located and destroyed two clandestine drug labs in the Lehigh Valley, authorities said.

Cole-Borghi has been charged with possession with the intent to deliver a pound of marijuana and possession of marijuana, Holihan said.

Cole-Borghi has been released from the Lehigh County Jail after posting $50,000 bail, Holihan said. It was not immediately clear if he had acquired an attorney. Efforts to reach him Friday afternoon were not immediately successful.

Holihan did not provide details about Cole-Borghi’s alleged role in the drug ring, citing the ongoing grand jury investigation. Court documents outlining the charges remain under seal.

Holihan declined to comment when asked if other public officials remain under investigation.

Political consequences

The arrest sent shockwaves through the region's political circles, and the effects could reset local campaigns ahead of the November election.

Cole-Borghi, a first-term Democrat, won the May primary for his 2nd District seat representing Catasauqua; Fountain Hill; Hanover Township, Lehigh County; the Lehigh County portion of Bethlehem and parts of Allentown.

The 2nd District overwhelmingly favors Democrats, but he is being opposed by Republican Jacqueline Rivera. She has fallen in short in two past campaigns for the board of commissioners.

In a statement, Rivera called the arrest troubling and disappointing. If the charges holdup, it shows he's taken his responsibilities to the district for granted, she said.

"As community leaders, we are entrusted with a responsibility to uphold the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and service. The people of Lehigh County deserve representatives they can trust—leaders who will put families, neighborhoods, and the well-being of our community first," Rivera said.

Commissioner Geoff Brace, chair of the board of commissioners, expressed shock but declined to comment, saying he wanted to speak with Cole-Borghi first.

Regardless of whether Cole-Borghi remains in the race, it would take a court order to remove him from the ballot. The official deadline to withdraw from the ballot was Aug. 8. Parties had until Aug. 21 to replace candidates who had.

Higher up on the ballot, former Allentown police chief Roger MacLean is looking to become the first Republican to become the Lehigh County Executive in 20 years. He is running against state Rep. Josh Siegel, D-Lehigh, but has been trailing badly in fundraising.

Cole-Borghi has also been a political ally of Bethlehem Mayor William J. Reynolds. Reynolds won his May primary and is running unopposed in November, but the arrests could theoretically complicate what has looked like a quiet city council election.

Republican Joseph Poplawski and Democrats Rachel Leon, Hillary Kwiatek, Justin Amann and Jo Daniels are competing for four positions on city council.

This is a developing news story. Check back for more details.