Authorities announced the takedown of four separate drug trafficking rings on Monday, with support from elected officials including Congressman Kweisi Mfume, Governor Wes Moore, Mayor Brandon Scott, State’s Attorney Ivan Bates, along with U.S. Attorney Erek Barron and other law enforcement leaders.
According to Bates, the investigation began through the Baltimore Police Department’s Group Violence Reduction Strategy (GVRS) unit. Officers quickly realized they would need to intercept the suspects' text messages and phone calls to uncover the full scope of the criminal enterprise and apprehend those higher up in the chain.
Bates then approached Barron who secured federal resources and the wiretapping started.
“Your problem is my problem,” Barron said during the press conference, encouraging local prosecutors to reach out to him for assistance. “We're taking our violent crime approach and strategy to the next level.” Barron also warned criminals to “pack an extra toothbrush” borrowing Bates’ famous catchphrase.
Throughout the process, prosecutors applied for 155 different warrants. City and federal officers spent six months wiretapping six suspects.
Their investigation yielded:
- 38 indictments
- 7 kilograms of cocaine
- 110lbs of cannabis
- $400,000 in cash
- 525 grams of heroin
- 3 kilograms of fentanyl
- 5 rifles, 3 handguns and body armor
Prosecutors said the alleged traffickers operated from four locations in southwestern Baltimore: 2000 block of W. Pratt Street, 500 block of Millington Avenue, 2800 block of Edmondson Avenue, and the 1700 block of Lemmon Street
The suspects, whose ages range from 16 to 61, have been arrested more than 220 times, with 12 of them being repeat offenders, said Police Commissioner Richard Worley. Worley urged the public to call 1-866-756-2587 with information on the 15 suspects who are still at large.
The 38 individuals indicted face a variety of charges, from firearms offenses to violent crimes, including armed robbery and conspiracy to commit murder. Two people face federal charges.
WHAT’S NEXT?
The investigation is ongoing.
Special Agent in Charge Tony Crosby said the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is looking into 47 other shootings linked to the firearms recovered during the investigation.
“We will review each of those individual crimes and ensure we haven’t missed anything,” Crosby said.
The Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Safety (MONSE) announced plans to move into the affected areas and deploy services to keep the environment drug free.
“Some people might need some job training,” said the mayor. “Someone might need to get their GED. Someone might be suffering from substance abuse, and they might need services on that. Whatever they need is what we're going to try to provide to make sure that there's not a power vacuum.”
The headline of this story has been updated.
