In a significant blow to the narcotics trade in Philadelphia, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and local law enforcement agencies have dismantled a notorious open-air drug market, effectively neutralizing the criminal syndicate that had been its lifeblood for nearly ten years.
As reported by Breitbart, the FBI Director, Kash Patel, along with federal prosecutors, held a press conference on Friday to shed light on the indictment that implicated 33 individuals, alleged members of the so-called Weymouth Street Drug Trafficking Organization. The briefing was a testament to the power of collaboration between federal and local law enforcement, a model Patel believes should be emulated nationwide.
Patel, who did not directly participate in the investigation, joined his colleagues in Philadelphia to highlight the operation's success. He stated, Everyone in America should be looking at this takedown. This takedown is how you safeguard cities from coast to coast You go after the organizations that are inflicting pain across America in each and every city. This is one of the largest and most impressive gang takedowns Ive ever seen. He further added, We have permanently removed a drug trafficking organization off the streets of Philadelphia.
Keven Bethel, Philadelphia Police Commissioner, echoed Patel's sentiments, emphasizing that the case marked a shift in the approach to open-air drug markets, from isolated street dealers to a broader public safety threat involving criminal organizations. This is a model we can keep running, he affirmed.
The U.S. Attorney, David Metcalf, revealed that the case revolved around an open-air market located on the 3100 block of Weymouth Street in Philadelphia's Kensington district. The street organization allegedly resorted to shootings, murder, and assaults to maintain control over its territory and retaliated against witnesses who cooperated with law enforcement.
The indictment includes conspiracy charges, alleging that the organization operated from January 2016 through October 2025, dealing in fentanyl, heroin, crack cocaine, and cocaine. Metcalf described the case as a massive drug-trafficking conspiracy spanning nearly a decade, the largest federal indictment this century brought by our district. We targeted it like a precision missile at Kensingtons epicenter.
The majority of the arrests took place in Kensington, with others in Puerto Rico, Delaware, and New Jersey. Nine tactical teams executed raids at various locations, seizing numerous firearms and substantial quantities of narcotics from alleged stash locations, according to FBI Special Agent in Charge, Wayne Jacobs.
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino shared a video of one of the raids on social media, writing, When President Trump told us to go get em, he wasnt kidding. And neither were we.
A Fox News Digital report on the indictment identified the alleged leaders of the organization as Jose Antonio Morales Nieves, Ramon Roman-Montanez, and Nancy Rios-Valentin. They were accused of running the operations, managing daily activities, and overseeing finances and shift schedules.
Jacobs concluded, For too long the Weymouth Street drug organization flooded Kensington with drugs and terrorized residents with horrific acts of violence and intimidation. That ended today.
This operation serves as a stark reminder of the relentless efforts of law enforcement agencies to protect communities from the scourge of drug trafficking and related violence. It also underscores the importance of inter-agency cooperation in combating organized crime, a model that, if replicated, could significantly enhance public safety across the nation.
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