33 people charged with criminally dealing in prescription drugs.

Hundreds of police officers swept across Erie and Niagara Counties earlier today arresting 33 people charged with criminally dealing in prescription drugs.

Many of those arrested used a gas station on William Street in Cheektowaga as a distribution point for the drugs.

The alleged leader of the ring, Michael McCall, faces life in prison. U.S. Attorney William Hochul won't say if there are more arrests coming of those who legally supplied the drugs to the ring.

Hochul says the Centers for Disease Control identify illegal use of prescription drugs as a national problem. He says illegal prescription drug use has become as much of a problem as traditional illegal drugs like heroin.

Cheektowaga Chief Christine Ziemba says her department was working with West Seneca and Lancaster on a different investigation when they stumbled on this drug ring.

"While working surveillance on that case, they observed suspicious activity at a neighboring location," said Ziemba.

Because so much of the drug activity was in the suburbs, a variety of suburban police agencies were involved in the investigation and the arrests.