62 year old arrested on heroin charge

An Amelia man was arrested and charged with trafficking in heroin during an undercover drug operation Wednesday evening.

Chuck Boyer, unit coordinator of Seneca County Drug Task Force METRICH Enforcement Unit, said Terry L. Murphy, 62, was arrested and charged with the fourth-degree felony after an undercover agent purchased about $900 worth of heroin from him.

The undercover operation had occurred in a parking lot in the 2000 block of West SR 18 around 7:30 p.m., Boyer said.

Boyer said Murphy was believed to be a local supplier of heroin, and METRICH had been
investigating him for about three months.

Boyer said no other drugs or drug-related items were found on Murphy or in his vehicle during the operation.

According to a release from METRICH, additional charges of trafficking in heroin are pending against Murphy, and once the investigation is complete, the case will be turned over to the Seneca County Prosecutor's Office.

Boyer said Murphy is being held at Seneca County Jail.

"Whether you are younger or older, the message to those who choose to travel to our community and try to peddle their poison, that the distribution of any illicit drugs, especially heroin, will not be tolerated," Tiffin Police Chief Fred Stevens said in the release.

According to the release, METRICH was assisted Wednesday evening by Tiffin Police Department and Seneca County Sheriff's Office.