The arrest of nine individuals in Washington, DC, last week follows the apprehension of fifteen members of a rival crew in the area a little over a week earlier, leading D.C. prosecutors to claim that they are reducing violence in the capital by eliminating competing gangs.
Metro Police and federal agents collaborated on Thursday morning in an operation that netted nine individuals in the Trinidad neighborhood. According to U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves, these individuals were either involved in or had connections to the trade of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is frequently inadvertently mixed with other substances.
Another product they peddled was Crack, a rock crystal form of freebase cocaine. The extreme euphoria that crack produces is instantaneous and lasts for around five to ten minutes.
Heroin, a semi-synthetic opioid illicitly produced by processing morphine derived from opium poppy plants, was also trafficked by them.
Due to their illegal drug business, they were in conflict with those from a rival group a few streets east in the Carver Langston area, according to the U.S. attorney. During a search of the area in mid-May, law enforcement officers made 15 arrests.
Fifteen individuals apprehended in an operation will face federal narcotics and firearms charges.
The Trinidad crew allegedly operated an outdoor drug market. Prosecutors said that there were 119 gunshots and 59 violent criminal acts in the vicinity of the drug market from January to July 2023.
The murder toll fluctuates due to the abundance of firearms and the ebb and flow of violence between the fighting gangs.
During the operation, the police seized fifteen guns, several magazines, and twelve thousand dollars worth of suspected drug money. Prosecutors have confiscated large quantities of what they suspect to be methamphetamine, fentanyl, and xylazine.
Twenty-four people were taken into custody after these investigations on charges ranging from various firearm violations to narcotics possession and distribution.
