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Surprise response to newspaper ad
December 1, 1998
By Bill Moushey, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
This was no average street dealer. The Philadelphia drug dealer took his cue from mail
order catalogs.
He mailed letters to known drug suppliers in the Philadelphia area, identifying himself
only as "Salvatore."
The letters quoted his price $75,000 per kilogram of heroin.
When FBI agents in Philadelphia heard about the mysterious mail-order drug dealer, they
jumped, figuring that if they tracked him down, he could lead them to a major heroin
trafficker.
After a two-month investigation in 1994, agents learned that "Salvatore" was
actually one of their own, an FBI special agent who stole about 100 pounds of heroin from
his bureaus evidence room.
Kenneth R. Withers, 33, a seven-year veteran, was charged in June 1994 with theft and
trafficking violations.
He is still awaiting trial.
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