Federal authorities claim they have shut down a prominent drug dealing faction that operated in Kensington, after charging 33 alleged members of the group.
Dubbed the Weymouth Street Drug Trafficking Organization by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the enterprise ran a 24/7 market that moved significant amounts of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and crack for years on the 3100 block of Weymouth, near Kensington and Allegheny avenues and McPherson Square Park, according to an indictment.
Hundreds of law enforcement officers participated in a raid Friday that resulted in 24 arrests – one of which happened as far away as San Juan, Puerto Rico – and included 11 searches, authorities said. Eight of the suspects were already behind bars, and one has yet to be captured, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Friday afternoon.
FBI Director Kash Patel, who appeared at a news conference in Philadelphia about the investigation, called it “one of the largest and most impressive gang takedowns” since he became the agency’s leader in February.
“Everyone in America should be looking at this takedown,” Patel added. “This is exactly how you safeguard American lives. You go after the organizations that are inflicting pain across America, in each and every city.”
U.S. Attorney David Metcalf said the indictment is the largest in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania this century, as measured by the number of defendants charged. The 173-page grand jury document reflects a probe that occurred over several years, with the earliest criminal allegations dating back nine years.
Investigators allege the organization’s leader, 45-year-old Jose Antonio Morales Nieves, also known as “Flaco,” was based in Puerto Rico but oftened traveled to the city. He “owned” the block, taking a cut of narcotics proceeds in the form of “rent” and ensuring the safety of dealers, the indictment claims.
Day-to-day operations were overseen by Ramon Roman-Montanez, 40, and Nancy Rios-Valentine, 33, according to prosecutors.
The indictment alleges that Roman-Montanez, Rios-Valentine and others scheduled “shifts” to make sure the 3100 block of Weymouth could always offer drugs to customers. Members had defined roles as lookouts, suppliers, “case workers” and street-level dealers, authorities contend.
A makeshift structure, made of drywall and tents and referred to as “the bunker,” was constructed on a vacant lot on Weymouth and served as a hub for meetings, stashing illicit items and cooking crack, according to law enforcement.
Drugs were also packaged and stored in larger quantities in a garage on the 3300 block of Rorer Street in Kensington and a stash house on the 6200 block of Tackawanna Street in Wissinoming, the indictment states. Guns and drugs were also allegedly kept in more than a dozen occupied and vacant homes on that single block of Weymouth.
On at least two occasions, the group allegedly received shipments of narcotics from California, according to the charging documents.
In addition to Weymouth, associates of the organization sold drugs at F and Clementine streets; E and Wishart streets and on the 3000 block of Potter Street, authorities said.
Law enforcement appears to have bugged “the bunker” and wiretapped several phones as part of the investigation, as the indictment quotes and recounts conversations about money dropoffs, the availability of certain narcotics and police activity in the area.
Although authorities said the group utilized violence and threats to maintain control, none of the suspects were charged in federal court in connection with any homicides or shootings.
Members, prosecutors allege, were heavily armed and are pictured waving guns in music videos uploaded to YouTube. The indictment claims one of the defendants pointed a gun at police in 2022, and that others opened fire on a car during an incident last year.
Roman-Montanez and Rios-Valentine are also accused of keeping and training roosters as part of a cockfighting ring that primarily operated out of the basement of a Weymouth Street rowhouse.
Legal representation for the suspects could not be identified through court records Sunday.
Local law enforcement partnered with the FBI in the investigation, and Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel connected the probe to Mayor Cherelle Parker’s promise to shut down Kensington’s open-air drug markets.
“The people of Kensington deserve safety, dignity and peace, as any other neighborhood does,” Bethel said at Friday’s news conference. “We are not going to be apologizing for removing individuals who do this type of behavior.
“I will say to anyone out there, we’re not done. We’ve now shown the template that we can put together to be able to attack these areas.”
