A major drug trafficking operation has been dismantled, with six men charged in connection with smuggling millions of dollars worth of methamphetamine and cocaine into Pennsylvania. The Byrne Drug Trafficking Organization allegedly concealed the drugs inside Bluetooth karaoke speakers to evade detection.
During a press conference on Wednesday, Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn revealed that the organization had shipped approximately $5 million in drugs over the past six months. The group’s leader, identified as 43-year-old Matthew James Byrne of Broomall, Delaware County, reportedly made frequent trips to Los Angeles to procure the narcotics.
According to prosecutors, Byrne chose California due to its proximity to Mexico and the lower cost of illicit drugs. His trips involved meeting narcotic brokers, purchasing drugs, and then smuggling them in Bluetooth speakers or homemade wooden boxes. These packages were shipped to Pennsylvania under false names. Narcotics detectives tracked 12 shipments to locations in Bristol Township and Montgomery County, with each package containing substantial quantities of drugs.
Authorities intercepted three shipments at the United Parcel Service’s (UPS) Worldport facility in Kentucky, discovering nearly $1.2 million worth of cocaine and meth concealed in Bluetooth speakers. Byrne’s brother, 47-year-old Joseph Byrne, was identified as a key recipient in Bristol Township.
The investigation led to the arrest of four men on Monday: the Byrne brothers, along with 34-year-old Khalik Kemp from Philadelphia and 55-year-old Christian Garwood from Flourton, Montgomery County. Two California-based suspects, 42-year-old Ralph Brooks from Los Angeles and 40-year-old Chaz Harness-Walker from Inglewood, are also charged but remain at large.
To apprehend the suspects, detectives utilized travel records, intercepted communications, and conducted surveillance in both California and Pennsylvania. During one intercepted communication, a member of the organization described the cocaine quality as “slamming” and “powerful.”
In addition to the arrests, law enforcement executed search warrants on July 18 at several homes across Philadelphia, Delaware, and Montgomery counties. They seized cocaine, other drugs, drug paraphernalia, four firearms, and over $20,000 in cash.
“This case shows there are no limits to the lengths traffickers will go to make a profit dealing poisons that devastate families and communities,” said Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry. She commended the collaborative efforts of law enforcement agencies that successfully disrupted this sophisticated drug operation.
In other news – Limpopo police foil attempt to smuggle stolen land cruiser into Zimbabwe
In a swift and decisive operation, Limpopo police have successfully prevented an attempt to smuggle a stolen Land Cruiser, belonging to former South African MP Mandla Mandela, across the border into Zimbabwe. The vehicle, valued between R1.5 million and R2.1 million, was stolen from a parking lot at Menlyn Mall in Pretoria on Thursday afternoon.
Provincial police commissioner, Lt-Gen Thembi Hadebe, praised the quick actions of the anti-smuggling task team that led to the apprehension of the suspect. According to the South African Police Service (SAPS), the suspect, a 42-year-old Zimbabwean national, was apprehended later that evening in the Lebowakgomo area, located outside Polokwane. Read More
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