The Brief
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Over a dozen people were arrested after a large-scale cocaine and crack cocaine bust in Philadelphia.
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Search warrants uncovered over 12 kilos of cocaine, 50 pounds of marijuana, and 19 illegal firearms.
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Investigators say the organization was known to operate at the intersection of 5th and Cornwall streets in North Philly.
PHILADELPHIA – Prosecutors on Friday celebrated the dismantling of a massive drug ring in Philadelphia that resulted in over a dozen arrests, with more on the way.
What we know
The drug enterprise known for operating near the intersection of 5th and Cornwall streets in North Philadelphia was dismantled after a lengthy investigation.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday said more than 20 people were charged for participating in the drug ring, and over a dozen of them have been arrested.
“This criminal enterprise is shut down,” Sunday said. “These charges will eliminate a network of dealers who pedaled poison without any regard for human life.”
Investigators worked over a long period of time to understand the criminal network, and learned that Jimmie Torres was the ringleader of the operation.
Torres, who authorities are still working to bring into custody, oversaw the drug ring when he was not in his native Puerto Rico.
In his absence, investigators learned that his son, Matthew Torres, was left in charge of the Philadelphia-based cocaine and crack cocaine operation.
Sunday described the organization’s hierarchy and how they moved products throughout Philadelphia and beyond.
Packaged drugs were brought to Levittown, Bucks County and transported to “stash locations” in Philadelphia where they were moved by dealers at 5th and Cornwall.
“This was an all-hours operation,” Sunday said. “Everyone had their role, everyone had their rank.”
Search warrants conducted on Thursday recovered over 12 kilos of cocaine, 50 pounds of marijuana, over a dozen illegal firearms, and more.
What they’re saying
Sunday was joined by state and local leaders, including Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn, who said the drug bust will help “restore communities.”
“These drugs take human lives, these drugs destroy families, and they destroy communities – and we vow to restore those communities,” Schorn said.
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