⏱ 2 min read
James Watts, aka Chubbs, led the Crown Royal Gang (CRG) in a large-scale drug trafficking operation in Northeast Philadelphia, peddling methamphetamine, cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl. From 2020 to 2021, the FBI and Philadelphia Police Department investigated the CRG, monitoring their activities around the Oxford Village Housing Project. Watts, 41, of Marcus Hook, was the mastermind behind the operation, using a yellow Ford E250 van to store and distribute the narcotics.
The investigation began in early 2020, with surveillance operations targeting the van and the housing project. On multiple occasions, investigators saw CRG members, including Watts, placing small items or bags in and out of the van. The final straw came on March 12, 2021, when Watts was spotted removing a black plastic bag from the van and fleeing the area in a white Acura TL.
Watts was pulled over shortly after, and his suspended Pennsylvania license led to a search of the vehicle. The outcome was a superseding indictment in May 2023, with Watts pleading guilty to two counts each of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, possession of a firearm by a felon, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
On the heels of his guilty plea, Watts was sentenced to 276 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge Juan R. Sánchez, bringing an end to the Crown Royal Gang’s reign in Northeast Philadelphia.
📋 Key Facts
- Crime: Organized Crime
- Defendant: Pennsylvania
- Location: PA
- Source: DOJ Press Release
