IN BRIEF : Dale Berra Arrested in Drug Busts

Former major league baseball player Dale Berra, 32, the son of Hall of Famer Yogi Berra, was among 23 people arrested Thursday during raids in four northern New Jersey counties.

The younger Berra, who spent 10 years with the Pittsburgh Pirates, the New York Yankees and the Houston Astros, is accused of buying cocaine from a major narcotics ring, and he will not be treated as “just another customer” by the prosecution.

“He’s not just another customer because of his notoriety as a former professional baseball player and, quite frankly, as a role model,” said Morris County Prosecutor Lee Trumbull. “To the extent that there is a deterrent message, (Berra’s arrest) is going to enhance the impact of that message.”

The former ballplayer admitted involvement in baseball’s worst drug scandal in 1985. Berra testified at two Pittsburgh cocaine trials in 1985 and 1986 centering on drug abuse on the Pirate team.