Takedown: Feds bust 22 in Chester drug gang turf war
Officials: 22 rival gang members arrested in early-morning raids in Chester
CHESTER >> Prosecutors said the story of a drug war between two rival gangs operating on the western side of Chester - which resulted in 22 arrests - could have read like a Hollywood movie script.
Instead, as U.S. Attorney William McSwain said, it was all too real for the residents living in the areas where these gangs operated.
Now, as a result of a major counter-drug operation, 22 members of the two gangs are in federal custody for what local and federal prosecutors describe as a major “takedown” of two large drug operations on Chester’s west side.
The announcement of the arrest was made during a press conference at the Chester police station with representatives from the federal government, Delaware County and local law enforcement.
“These charges stem from a multiyear joint investigation by the FBI, DEA and the Chester Police Department with assistance and support of the Delaware County District Attorney’s
Office into ongoing gang violence and narcotics activity that has plagued the western portion of Chester for many years,” McSwain said. “Now, these two groups have operated drug territories next to each other and have terrorized the community members living and working in this area. But today, this reign of terror ends.”
The gangs taken down with the early-morning arrests were known under the names “3rd Bone” or 3BM, and the William Penn or the Penn.
“My office is committed to making the streets of Chester safe from drug trafficking and related violence,” said Delaware County District Attorney Katayoun Copeland. “Every resident deserves the right to walk their children to school or commute to work without fear. Drug gangs like the 3rd Bone and the William Penn brand themselves with tattoos that show allegiance to their gangs while peddling poison and literally lining their pockets with money.”
According to McSwain, in the predawn hours of Oct. 30, various law enforcement organizations carried out a large-scale takedown and arrests of many of the defendants. “This was an inherently dangerous undertaking, but thankfully all the arrests occurred this morning without incident,” he said.
Prosecutors say their investigation uncovered rampant trafficking of crack, cocaine, fentanyl and heroin and an open conflict between the two gangs.
McSwain said the rivalry was so intense that it culminated in a shooting Feb. 21 of this year in the area of the 700 block of West Second Street in Chester.
In that incident, William Penn gang members Issac Barrett and Kaleaf Gilbert shot a member of the 3rd Bone group, causing serious injuries. Barrett is then alleged to have put out a bounty on the head of one of his rivals that he believed was involved in the shootout.
McSwain said 13 members of the 3rd Bone gang have been charged with 70 counts of drug trafficking, firearms charges and numerous other offenses.
The 3rd Bone territory was primarily in and around Tilghman Street to the west, Fifth Street to the North, Pusey Street to the east, and Second Street to the south.
The territory included Third Street, from which the gang took its name. Union Street was called the Alleyway and was used as a preferred location for drug sales and stashing drugs and weapons.
“They guarded this territory close to keep out nonmembers from selling drugs in that territory and sharing firearms that were stashed in the Alleyway to enforce their presence and to protect their turf,” McSwain said.
McSwain said they also posted photos of firearms and cash from drug sales as they boasted about being 3rd Bone members on social media.
Those arrested as part of the 3rd Bone gang were Deshaun-Davis, 34; Dwayne Butler, 25; Tyleel ScottHarper, 23; Brandon Scott-Harper, 20; Michael Wright, 20; Isiah Jenifer, 22, Frederick Rochester, 27; Jamel Covington, 29; Johvon Covington, 30; Shahaad Sterling, 21; Frederick Donaldson, 25, all from Chester; and Perley Mack Jr., 24, of Marcus Hook; and Derrick Cooper, 25, of Upland.
The William Penn gang took their name from their primary territory that included the William Penn Projects. The streets in their territory included the 200 block of Parker Street and the 600 and 700 blocks of West Second Street. Their territory abutted the 3rd Bone’s territory.
Nine members of the William Penn gang were charged with drug and firearm charges. Members of the gang included Issac Barrett, 33, of Essington; Kaleaf Gilbert, 27, of Chester; Darnell Bell, 29, of Chester; Terrence Womack, 32, of Chester; Brennen Lane, 31, of Chester; Dion Kattes, 21, of Chester; Saequan Womack, 26, of Chester; Jamar Bright, 31, of Chester; and Kevin Nichols, 57, of Chester.
“Both of these indictments represent the culmination of a tremendous amount of investigative work and collaboration among federal and local law enforcement agencies. For years, they have worked tirelessly to bring some semblance of peace to the Chester neighborhoods overrun by these two rival gangs. But today, the rule of law prevails as we see the results of all the law enforcement efforts,” said McSwain.
Joseph Bushner, with the FBI, said approximately 300 law enforcement officers were involved in the Wednesday morning arrests.
Bushner said eight of the arrests made Wednesday morning were deemed high-risk due to the criminal histories of the suspects. So they used a hostage rescue unit from Quantico, Virginia, and SWAT teams from Newark, New York, and Baltimore assisting the Philadelphia SWAT team in making some of the arrests.
He also cited assistance from several local police departments, including Pennsylvania State Police, Chester, Ridley, Sharon Hill, Upland, Delaware County District Attorney’s office, and the Delaware County Sheriff’s office.