Drug , Gun Trafficking Rings Broken Up in Multiple States
The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced this week the breakup of three major crime rings involved in gun and drug trafficking, with cases brought in New York, West Virginia, and Georgia.
“I am grateful to all of the Department’s agents, prosecutors, and staff involved in these actions, as well as to our state and local partners, for their tireless work,” said Attorney General Merrick Garland.
New York Case
In New York, prosecutors say law enforcement broke up a gun and drug trafficking ring that was bringing weapons to the streets of Brooklyn.
“As alleged, the defendants are responsible for attempting to flood the streets of Brooklyn with over 50 deadly weapons, including ghost guns, as well as narcotics, feeding the cycles of gun violence and drug abuse,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace of the Eastern District of New York.
It’s the first case in New York, and one of the first in the nation, to use the gun trafficking provisions in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which became law in June 2022. The Act created a standalone firearm trafficking conspiracy offense, which the government charged in this case.
Prosecutors unveiled a seven-count indictment against the suspects: David Mccann, Tajhai Jones, Raymond Minaya, and Calvin Tabron. They are charged with conspiring to illegally traffic more than 50 firearms. All except Tabron are also facing drug charges.
Court documents say firearms sold in the conspiracy have been linked to several shootings in Brooklyn.
The New York Police Department (NYPD); Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) New York division; and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigated the case.
West Virginia Case
Two-Baltimore based drug trafficking organizations were recently served with two separate federal indictments for trafficking drugs in West Virginia.
The indictments were handed down by prosecutors in the Northern District of West Virginia.
A total 34 people from Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia were indicated on charges related to the sale of fentanyl, heroin, and other drugs in Hampshire County, West Virginia and Mineral County, West Virginia.
In the first case, 12 people are charged in a fentanyl distribution operation in Hampshire County. Prosecutors say the group also dealt with firearms trafficking and traded some of the guns for drugs.
In the second case, 22 people are charged with conspiring to distribute fentanyl and heroin in Hampshire County.
Prosecutors say overdoses spiked in the region due to the illegal drugs.
“Fentanyl continues to be the number one threat to public safety in the region and much of it flows here from Baltimore,” said United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld.
The investigation was led by the Potomac Highlands Drug Task Force, which is made up of members from the FBI, DEA, and West Virginia state and county officials.
Georgia Case
Finally, a massive drug trafficking investigation of the Ghost Face Gangsters criminal street gang of Georgia, led to charges against 76 defendants. Prosecutors dubbed the operation, “Operation Ghost Busted.”
The defendants are charged with involvement in a drug trafficking conspiracy that distributed large amounts of meth, fentanyl, heroin, and alprazolam in greater Glynn County and led to multiple overdose deaths.
“Operation Ghost Busted demonstrates the focused commitment of law enforcement agencies at all levels in identifying, infiltrating and disrupting drug trafficking networks in our communities,” said U.S. Attorney David H. Estes of the Southern District of Georgia.
The indictment charges 118 counts and is 133 pages long. It’s believed to be the largest ever in the Southern District of Georgia.
The investigation was overseen by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, led by the FBI Coastal Georgia Violent Gang Task Force and Georgia state and local law enforcement.