HAZLETON, Pa. — State Attorney General Dave Sunday told members of a joint Senate and House policy panel on Monday that Pennsylvania is seeing a complex shift in criminal activity, with lower violent crime in many places but a worrying rise in drug offenses, coordinated retail theft and scams targeting older residents.
Speaking at Hazleton City Hall, Sunday framed the changing landscape as one that requires more resources for targeted investigations and changes to state law to protect vulnerable Pennsylvanians. He highlighted large fentanyl seizures, expanded investigations into organized retail theft and new efforts to combat elder exploitation.
Fentanyl seizures and the scale of the threat
Sunday said his office’s narcotics bureau recorded the removal of 56.5 million doses of fentanyl from Pennsylvania streets. He emphasized the public health and public safety implications of that figure.
“That amount of fentanyl is staggering. It’s enough to kill four times the population of Pennsylvania,”
The attorney general used the number to underscore the lethality of the synthetic opioid and the need for aggressive enforcement and prevention strategies, though he did not detail the timeframe or the operations that produced the total during his remarks.
Organized retail theft: not just a big-city problem
Sunday said his office has pursued more than 100 investigations into organized retail theft across 52 counties, a footprint he cited to rebut the notion that the problem is confined to large metropolitan areas.
- Over 100 organized retail theft investigations opened by the AG’s office
- Investigations occurring in 52 Pennsylvania counties
- Human trafficking active caseload up 125% since the unit formed
He described organized retail theft as involving coordinated smash-and-grab incidents and other criminal enterprises that supply stolen goods to larger markets. The attorney general’s comments came as lawmakers considered policy and funding options that could aid both prosecutors and local law enforcement.
Human trafficking and elder exploitation
Sunday also pointed to sharp growth in human trafficking investigations: his office’s human trafficking section has seen a 125% increase in active cases since the unit was created two years ago. He warned that tracking remains difficult because many victims do not report abuse.
On elder exploitation, Sunday described an increasing sophistication of scams targeting older Pennsylvanians and said his office has created a dedicated elder exploitation unit that has quickly become overwhelmed with cases. He urged legislators to strengthen the state’s Older Adult Protective Services Act to give financial institutions clearer authority to intervene.
“Scamming of seniors probably accounts for the majority of gross domestic product in some small countries,”
Sunday said he has aging parents in their early 80s and that the growing complexity of scams — including impersonation of government officials and schemes that use remote-access software — makes prevention efforts urgent.
Policy ask: let banks stop fraud in progress
The attorney general urged lawmakers to consider proposals that would permit banks to place temporary holds on suspected fraudulent transactions. He said immediate intervention by financial institutions is often the only practical way to prevent victims from losing funds permanently.
“Intervention by financial institutions is critical because the stolen money is rarely returned to victims,” Sunday told the panel, urging legislative attention to statutory fixes that would allow quicker responses to suspected fraud.
Office priorities and next steps
Beyond narcotics, retail theft, human trafficking and elder exploitation, Sunday noted that his office continues to investigate money laundering, child exploitation and environmental crimes. He called for a multi-pronged approach combining prosecution, prevention, and legislative change.
| Area | Figure cited |
|---|---|
| Fentanyl doses removed | 56.5 million |
| Organized retail theft investigations | 100+ in 52 counties |
| Human trafficking active caseload increase | 125% |
As lawmakers weigh proposals, the attorney general’s testimony adds urgency to debates over drug enforcement funding, retailer security and legal protections for older adults. Any legislative changes would move through committees in Harrisburg, where members will evaluate the balance between consumer protections, banking authority and due process for account holders.
Reporting from Hazleton, Gregory Halloran.
