Suspects in Big Cocaine Bust Waive Prelim Hearing

One by one they came in front of District Court Judge William Maruszczak, who was presiding in Courtoom 6 of the in Norristown, instead of his usual, and way too small, District Court 38-1-09 courtroom.

All but one of 27 defendants—some representing themselves, some with public defenders, and some with high-profile, high-priced defense lawyers—agreed to waive their right to a preliminary hearing on the charges against them. The remaining defendant, who also waived a preliminary hearing, did not appear in the courtroom.

Those charges run the gamut of illegal drug crimes from possession, up to .

In the criminal indictment, officials allege Anthony Dennis, along with his brother, Michael Dennis, distributed large quantities of cocaine to drug dealers throughout the Main Line, including Philadelphia, Montgomery and Chester counties.

Prosecutors say the Dennis drug trafficking organization, operating in part from a , supplied cocaine to James "Twin" Adams in Norristown. Following court approval of wire taps on the Dennis brothers and Adams, officials monitored the trio's phones from April 13 to May 18.

Read the full .

By waiving their right to a preliminary hearing, the defendants in essence concede that police and prosecutors have enough evidence to merit bringing a case to court.

Montgomery County Assistant District Attorney Rebecca Strubel is leading the prosecution team. As the defendants came in front of the judge, Strubel informed the court that each had agreed to waive their preliminary hearing. Each defendant and defense attorney then signed a form and received a CD containing evidence used in the charges against them, much of it collected using search warrants and court approved wire taps of cell phones.

Because none of the suspects asked for a hearing, the evidence was not presented in open court. Much of the evidence has already been on public display when Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman and a host of local, state and federal agencies announced the raids and arrests in Operation Heads Ups.

What Happens Next

The court case follows a nearly three-year-long investigation. It will take some time to make its way through the legal system. ADA Strubel tells Patch that prosecutors plan to try the cases together for "judicial economy."

The cases now go to the Court of Common Pleas. There will be a judicial conference scheduled with the judge that will now be assigned to the case. The conference with the lawyers and the judge will be to work out details of how and when the case will proceed.

In the meantime, suspects in the case could theoretically strike deals (if offered), decide to enter a plea or move forward with defending themselves at a trial.

Because of the scope of the case and the number of defendants, no time table has yet been established for a judicial conference or any further court proceedings.