33 indicted following FBI drug operation in Philadelphia's Kensington section
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The FBI announced on Friday that 33 people have been indicted following a raid targeting the Weymouth Street Drug Trafficking Organization in the Kensington section of Philadelphia.
Twenty-four alleged members were arrested Friday morning after dozens of search warrants were executed. Eight defendants were already in custody, and one individual remains at large, officials said.
David Metcalf, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, said this was a massive drug trafficking conspiracy spanning nearly a decade involving "tremendous" volumes of fentanyl and other narcotics.
He went on to say this is the largest federal indictment this century brought by his district.
"And like a precision missile, it has been targeted for maximum impact where it needed to go... the heart of the opioid scourge here in Kensington," Metcalf said.
Dozens of firearms were also recovered, Metcalf said.
The accused ringleader, 45-year-old Jose Antonio Morales Nieves, aka "Flaco," of Puerto Rico, allegedly authorized other members of the organization to sell drugs on his block in exchange for "rent," the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
"Morales Nieves helps protect the members of the DTO through the threat of violent acts, performed either by himself or his associates, against others who have caused the Weymouth DTO harm or attempted to sell controlled substances in the DTO's territory," Metcalf said.
Forty-year-old Ramon Roman-Montanez, aka "Viejo," of Philadelphia, allegedly managed the street-level operations.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said he was responsible for organizing the drug shift schedule, establishing who would be responsible for selling drugs at what times and on what days, managing proceeds, and obtaining more controlled substances.
Nancy Rios-Valentin, 33, also of Philadelphia, is also accused of organizing the drug shift schedule, as well as managing and maintaining drug proceeds.
Chopper 6 was overhead as multiple police officers and FBI agents swarmed Weymouth Street near Allegheny Avenue.
Investigators could be seen going in and out of a home along the 3100 block of Weymouth St.
"We have permanently removed a drug trafficking organization out of the streets of Philadelphia, and they're going to stop pouring guns and chemicals and drugs into our communities," FBI Director Kash Patel said during the news conference. "And our children are safer today."
Metcalf said the alleged leaders ran the drug trafficking organization like a successful business.
"This indictment alleges that the Weymouth Street drug trafficking organization, for nearly a decade, sold and distributed substantial volumes of fentanyl, crack cocaine, cocaine and heroin, mostly in the 3100 block of Weymouth Street. They made their living in one of the most notorious and prolific segments of an open-air drug market here in Kensington," he said.
Metcalf reassured residents this is just the start of local, state and federal partners working together to dismantle drug network.
Rosalind Pichardo was born and raised in Kensington and now helps people battling addiction.
"It's great that people got arrested for putting this poison out on the street and causing a lot of overdoses," she said.
If the prosecution is successful, the case would represent the "long-term annihilation" of the gang.
The FBI Special Agent in Charge of the Philadelphia office, Wayne Jacobs, said the organization ran the block with an iron fist.
"The vast majority of our actions were concentrated right here in Kensington, where this organization devastated the community, fueled violence and spread fear among residents for nearly a decade," he said.
The FBI also said Friday it is putting up public service announcements on billboards to urge people to give tips on other drug crimes.
