Zachary Borghi, a Democratic commissioner serving in Lehigh County, is now confronting dozens of felony-level charges tied to an ongoing drug investigation.
Borghi — who previously worked as the right-to-know officer for the City of Bethlehem — was taken into custody without resistance at or near his residence. He was arraigned late last month and remains held in Lehigh County Jail after failing to meet a $500,000 bail requirement.
The case includes a wide range of charges: 89 counts involving the criminal use of a communication device, 14 counts related to the delivery of a controlled substance (specifically cocaine), along with an additional count tied to the distribution of psilocybin mushrooms.
𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐂𝐑𝐀𝐓 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐘 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐑 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐆𝐄𝐃 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝟏𝟎𝟎+ 𝐅𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐂𝐎𝐂𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐆𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐁𝐔𝐈𝐋𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒
Zachary Cole Borghi — a 𝟑𝟓-𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫-𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐲…
— M.A. Rothman (@MichaelARothman) March 30, 2026
Prosecutors say the allegations stem from a detailed forensic examination of Borghi’s cellphone and Apple iCloud account, covering activity between November 2023 and August 2025. Investigators claim messages recovered from these sources indicate that Borghi coordinated drug deals across multiple locations — including his home in Bethlehem, a relative’s residence, Bethlehem City Hall (where he was employed at the time), and areas within Upper Saucon Township.
Authorities also point to specific incidents highlighted in the investigation. One allegation involves arranging a drug transaction during a Lehigh County Board of Commissioners meeting, supported by timestamps aligning text messages with recorded video of the session. Another cited instance occurred during a “Peace and Justice Symposium” hosted by the Lehigh Valley Justice Institute at Northampton Community College, according to prosecutors.
Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan explained that Borghi first came to investigators’ attention through a grand jury probe. “The grand jury put him on our radar and then additional investigation, additional evidence was obtained after the jury ended, and that led to today’s charges,” Holihan said.
He further described how investigators matched digital evidence to public footage. “Commissioners’ meetings are recorded on video. And we were able to look at the video and link that up to the cellphone messages that were recovered, and they seemed to correspond to the same exact time frame on the same exact day,” he said.
This latest arrest follows Borghi’s earlier connection to a broader multi-state investigation conducted by the Lehigh County 12th Investigating Grand Jury. That probe centered on a group known as “Death Before Dirt,” which authorities described as a large-scale marijuana distribution network operating across Pennsylvania, New York, Illinois, and Wisconsin.
Investigators also alleged the operation extended into the production of counterfeit luxury apparel.
In August 2025, Borghi was among 22 individuals arrested in connection with that earlier case. At the time, he faced charges of marijuana possession with intent to deliver, as well as simple possession.
He was later released after posting $50,000 bail, and related court records were sealed while the grand jury process continued. Unlike some co-defendants, Borghi was not charged with involvement in a corrupt organization, according to reporting from the Allentown Morning Call.
Following that initial arrest, Borghi publicly denied wrongdoing. “I want to be clear, I have never sold drugs to anyone, vehemently deny any suggestion to the contrary, and insist that I will prove my innocence,” he said.
He also characterized the accusations as “wrong, a violation of my constitutional due process rights, and clearly political.”
Zachary Cole-Borghi dem Lehigh County Commissioner is facing more than 100 new charges in connection with a large scale drug investigation. He is accused of selling cocaine from his home & Bethlehem City Hall. Just how corrupt are all these politicians? pic.twitter.com/GjqDXnQB1B
— RockyMtMama (@RockyMtMama1) March 30, 2026
Despite the controversy, Borghi won reelection to a second term as commissioner in November 2025. However, after the more recent arrest, he was ultimately removed from his position.
As of early April 2026, his name still appears on the Lehigh County Board of Commissioners website, though no additional profile information is included. No new public statement has been issued by Borghi regarding the March arrest.
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