Fentanyl Kingpins Busted in D.C.

WASHINGTON – In a major blow to the District’s fentanyl epidemic, law enforcement agencies announced the arrests of 23 alleged fentanyl traffickers in the past nine days, bringing the total number of people in custody to 25.

The latest crackdown, which targeted a Trinidad-based drug trafficking network, resulted in the arrest of nine defendants, including three alleged crew members charged in a 13-count indictment alleging a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, crack cocaine, and heroin, and firearms offenses.

Two additional defendants were arrested in connection with a separate 13-count indictment on fentanyl distribution and firearms charges. The indictments were announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, DEA Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Washington Division, FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division, Special Agent in Charge Troy Springer of the National Capital Region of the U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

The investigation, which began in summer 2023, targeted an open-air drug market around the 1100 block of Raum Street, NE, in the Trinidad neighborhood, where 59 violent crime incidents and 119 bursts of gunfire occurred from January to July 2023. Agents conducted numerous controlled buys of fentanyl, fentanyl analogue, cocaine base, and firearms in connection with this investigation.

Law enforcement executed 14 residential search warrants today in connection with the Trinidad investigation in the District and Maryland, seizing approximately 15 firearms, approximately $126,000 in cash currency, and significant quantities of drugs, including suspected cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl, and xylazine. At least three of the defendants arrested today have been indicted on firearms charges.

The surge in law enforcement resources was announced by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in January, aimed at targeting the individuals and organizations driving violent crime in the nation’s capital. “Over the past nine days, as a result of a multi-agency investigation, we have arrested 24 individuals we allege have fueled drug trafficking and community violence in Washington, D.C. The Department will continue to leverage our partnerships, our resources, and our investigative and prosecutorial tools to reduce violent crime and keep communities safe,” said Attorney General Garland.

U.S. Attorney Graves added, “The data tells us that a relatively small group of people in our community are the primary drivers of gun violence, and that the bulk of the gun violence is clustered in a relatively few blocks of our city. For years, we and our law enforcement partners have been focused on developing effective strategies for how we can best build cases against these relatively few people driving violence because we know that proactively removing these people from our streets is the most significant thing we can do as prosecutors to impact violent crime trends.”