Police: 7 charged with running ‘CashApp’ drug trafficking ring

Baltimore Police have arrested five people and two others remain at large after being indicted on charges they are part of a West Baltimore drug trafficking organization that sold heroin and cocaine in the Sandtown neighborhood.

The department said in a news release that Morton Dunaway, Dominique Johnson, Lakeda Carmichael, Gerald Payne and Aaron Pratt have all been indicted on drug and weapons charges for their alleged involvement in the “CashApp” drug trafficking organization.

Police said the group was led by the 33-year-old Dunaway and 30-year-old Johnson, and operated in the 1000 block of N. Carey Street at Riggs Avenue. The department said it was also able to seize “large quantities of street-level narcotics, firearms and ammunition” during the investigation.

The department said that two unnamed people also are being sought for their alleged involvement in the group.

It was not immediately clear whether Dunaway, Johnson and Payne had retained attorneys. An attorney representing Pratt did not return calls for comment, and an attorney for Carmichael could not be reached for comment.

In a statement, Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said the arrests are “a great example of law enforcement partners working collaboratively to help make Baltimore a safer city.”

Police said the investigation into the group was coordinated under the Maryland Criminal Intelligence Network, which pools resources at the local, state and federal levels of law enforcement to investigate gangs, drugs, firearms and human trafficking crimes.

“Drug trafficking not only fuels violence in our city but further victimizes the vulnerable demographic of substance abusers, who have lost their lives at an alarming rate due to overdoses,” Harrison said.

Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby also praised the arrests.

“When we focus our law enforcement resources on these serious offenses, we have the ability to stop and intercept illegal drug activity, which is an integral component to tackling the violence in our city and saving lives,” Mosby said.