Three plead guilty in drug ring bust
PHILADELPHIA >> Three men who ran a cocaine ring out of Philadelphia, Chester and Delaware in 2015 pleaded guilty to numerous charges on the eve of a trial in federal court this week.
David Toney, James Townsend, and Cheron Jackson were set to go to trial Monday, but instead tendered drug trafficking and weapons possession pleas before U.S. District Court Judge Mitchell S. Goldberg of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
According to a superseding indictment, Toney distributed wholesale quantities of cocaine to Townsend on credit. Townsend would then redistribute the drug to various dealers charged elsewhere.
Toney used an address on the 4100 block of Leidy Avenue in Philadelphia to package and distribute the cocaine and Townsend used an address on the 1500 block of Rainer Road in Chester as a “cut house” to dilute and prepare the cocaine for distribution, according to the indictment. Prosecutors said
Townsend and Jackson also used an address on the 1400 block of Wight Terrace in Chester as a “stash house.”
“Every day, members of our Criminal Investigation Division stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to root out dangerous drug trafficking organizations like the one these criminals operated,” said Delaware County District Attorney Katayoun M. Copeland in a release. “We are pleased that our ongoing efforts continue to make our community safe.”
The indictment points to numerous coded and cryptic text messages the three men sent between themselves and others in 2015 discussing cocaine deliveries, payments, and other facets of the conspiracy. The defendants frequently changed their cell phone numbers and used numerous phones to evade detection by law enforcement, according to the indictment.
At the conclusion of a yearlong investigation, law enforcement executed search warrants on the defendants’ residences and seized approximately two kilograms of cocaine, over $80,000 in cash, five firearms, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and paraphernalia and equipment used for drug trafficking. Seized paraphernalia included digital scales, new and unused packaging, and a press used to re-process cocaine.
Among the recovered weapons were a .40 caliber Glock pistol loaded with 15 rounds of ammunition, an Ekol Sava Magnum
9mm pistol, a Beretta .165 caliber pistol loaded with three rounds of ammunition, an Armalite
7.62mm AR10 rifle and two Armalite AR10 magazines, according to the indictment. Prosecutors said Toney also had a Taurus 9mm pistol loaded with eight rounds of ammunition.
“Those who supply and sell deadly drugs in the Eastern District will learn the hard way that they will be prosecuted,” said U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain in the release. “These defendants now face substantial prison time for their crimes and will be held accountable for the misery they caused. Thanks to the excellent work of our local and state law enforcement partners, we were able to detect and disrupt this deadly drug trafficking organization.”
Townsend and Jackson each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine; distribution of cocaine; possession with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine; and possession with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine within 1000 feet of the Ruth L. Bennett Homes, a public housing facility in Chester, as well as aiding and abetting charges.
Toney pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and possession of firearms and ammunition in furtherance of drug trafficking.
Toney and Townsend are scheduled for sentencing in February. A sentencing date for Jackson was not listed on electronic court records.
“The Chester Police Department is grateful for the efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in securing this conviction and tying up the last loose end of this investigation,” said Chester Police Chief James Nolan. “Following the efforts of the Chester Police Narcotics Division, Pennsylvania State Police, the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General, and the Delaware County District Attorney, a plea agreement is an outcome we are pleased with. This was a large step in offering relief to those citizens that suffer at the hands of illegal drug trafficking and the collateral damage caused by it.”
The case was investigated by the FBI, Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General, Pennsylvania State Police, Chester City Police Department and Delaware County CID. The case is being prosecuted by assistant U.S. attorneys A. Nicole Phillips and Yvonne O. Osirim.