Third Man Jailed in Easton Heroin Ring

A man who Easton police say was part of a three-man ring of heroin dealers was jailed Friday.

Jerome Caldwell had been on the run since 2011. On Friday afternoon, he was arraigned before District Judge Gay Elwell on numerous drug charges.

Police say Caldwell, who has lived in Allentown, Easton and New Jersey, and two other men -- Michael Shawn Dixon and Marvin Chambliss -- made numerous heroin sales to police informants in Easton and in Lower Nazareth Township in 2010.

Dixon has been in jail since late 2010, when he was first charged with drug offenses. He has since been sentenced to 5 to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to drug charges.

In January 2011, he was charged with "dealing in proceeds of unlawful activity," which is essentially money laundering.

According to police, Dixon set up bank accounts to hide money he made from selling drugs, while telling Pennsylvania's Department of Public Welfare he had no source of income, and thus collecting welfare. 

Chambliss was arrested in April on heroin distrubition charges.

Police have said the ring was under surveillance for about a year, and controlled buys from the three dealers totaled nearly $20,000.

In court Friday, Elwell noted the large amount of heroin and money in play in the case, and set Caldwell's bail at $550,000.