PA: Operation Mexican ICE..AG announces major drug ring bust
June 10, 2009
Attorney General Corbett announces arrest of three men in $2.5 million dollar Mexico to Philly meth ring
Opr Mexican IcePHILADELPHIA - Three men accused of running a $2.5 million meth operation, which stretched from Mexico to Philadelphia, are in custody following a 10-month investigation by the Attorney General's Bureau of Narcotics Investigation (BNI).
Attorney General Tom Corbett said the investigation, known as "Operation Mexican Ice" began in September 2008 and focused on the distribution of large quantities of crystal methamphetamine in the Philadelphia area and Southern New Jersey.
Corbett said that crystal methamphetamine is a stronger, purer form of meth, which gives users a high that lasts twice as long.
The investigation, which focused on Adalberto "Nanao" Morales, Rafael Torres-Aguilar, and Emmanuel Pimentel-Mejia, revealed a multi-facetted drug distribution enterprise that consisted of more than 40 lower level members that operated in and around the Philadelphia area.
Corbett said that the mid- and lower-level members of the organization and their roles in the distribution network are part of a continuing investigation.
As the investigation unfolded, court authorized wire taps were approved in January 2009 to determine the scope of the organization and help identify lower and mid-level distributors. The investigation was placed before a statewide investigating grand jury, which recommended the charges that are being filed today.
Corbett said that the crystal methamphetamine originated in Mexico and was transported to Atlanta, Georgia. Torres-Aguilar then transported the meth to Philadelphia and delivered it to Morales and Pimentel-Mejia.
"Restrictions on pseudoephedrine sales have put a significant dent in meth production in the United States," Corbett said. "However, that void is being filled by the Mexican meth trade and other Hispanic drug dealers, who are making millions of dollars from America's drug addiction."
According to the grand jury, Morales was the main supplier to the drug organization, and often supplied them with pound quantities of crystal methamphetamine each week, totaling approximately 28 pounds of meth over a seven-month period.
Corbett said that Morales charged between $16,000 and $20,000 per pound for the crystal methamphetamine.
The charges state that once they had Morales' methamphetamine, members of the drug distribution organization redistributed the crystal meth to individuals throughout Philadelphia, Bucks County, Chester County and New Jersey.
Corbett noted that the investigation also revealed that Morales was involved in street-level sales of cocaine and heroin in and around Philadelphia.
Corbett said that agents executed a search at Morales' Philadelphia residence in April 2009 and seized approximately 5.5 pounds of crystal methamphetamine with an estimated street value of $500,000; 3.2 ounces of heroin with an estimated street value of $31,000, 2.2 pounds of cocaine with an estimated street value of $97,000, 13 ounces of crack cocaine with an estimated street value of $37,000, and various drug paraphernalia used to break down and repackage large quantities of drugs.
Agents also recovered more than $5,500 in cash and a cellular telephone.
"Today's arrests are the result of an ongoing crackdown into the distribution of meth in southeastern Pennsylvania and the organized crime that often accompanies it," Corbett said. "The three men arrested today are the first step in dismantling this organization and we will not stop until everyone involved has been arrested."
Corbett thanked the Philadelphia Police Department, the New Jersey State Police and the New Jersey Attorney General's Office for their continued assistance with the investigation. He also thanked the Department of Homeland Security, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement Service for their assistance with the investigation.
The case will be prosecuted in Chester County by Deputy Attorney General Andrew Rongaus of the Attorney General's Drug Strike Force Section.
A list of the defendants and the charges against them is below.
--Adalberto "Nanao" Morales, 37, 4306 Potter St., Philadelphia, is charged with violations of the controlled substance, drug, device and cosmetic act, criminal conspiracy, corrupt organizations, criminal use of a communication facility, and dealing in unlawful proceeds.
--Emmanuel Pimentel-Mejia, 25, 4306 Potter St., Philadelphia, is charged with violations of the controlled substance, drug, device, and cosmetic act, criminal conspiracy, corrupt organizations, criminal use of a communication facility and dealing in unlawful proceeds.
--Rafael Torres-Aguilar, 40, with addresses in both Georgia and California, is charged with violations of the controlled substance, drug, device, and cosmetic act, criminal conspiracy, corrupt organizations, criminal use of a communication facility and dealing in unlawful proceeds.
http://www.attorneygeneral.gov/press.aspx?id=4549
