washington - Blog - Gangsters Inc. - www.gangstersinc.org
2024-03-28T14:23:23Z
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LA Dank DMV Crew member gets over 6 years in prison for role in sophisticated marijuana conspiracy
https://gangstersinc.org/blog/la-dank-dmv-crew-member-gets-over-6-years-in-prison-for-role-in-s
2024-01-20T14:36:56.000Z
2024-01-20T14:36:56.000Z
Gangsters Inc.
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<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/11029207453?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=374"></div><div><p>By <a href="http://www.gangstersinc.org" target="_blank">Gangsters Inc.</a> Editors</p>
<p>A member of the “LA Dank DMV Crew” was sentenced on Wednesday to over 6 years in prison for his role in a sophisticated and broad conspiracy that was responsible for bringing hundreds of pounds of marijuana from California to the metropolitan area. 30-year-old Christopher Akinduro, of Washington D.C, had already pleaded guilty on October 3, 2023, to conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana.</p>
<p>Seven LA Dank co-defendants have all pleaded guilty to various drug trafficking and/or firearms counts. The co-defendants include Abubakr Banire, Kavon Duncan, Joe Blyther, Isaac Akinduro, Avery Bost, Omar Butler, and Randall Lance, entered their pleas in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Lance was sentenced Oct. 10, 2023, to a 63 month prison term for conspiracy to distribute over 100 kilos of marijuana. The others are awaiting sentencing on similar counts.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>High-grade marijuana</strong></span></p>
<p>According to the government’s evidence, between May of 2021 and December of 2021, crew members operated a sophisticated conspiracy to traffic large amounts of high-grade marijuana from California to the DMV area for distribution to customers. As part of their distribution scheme, members of the crew relied heavily on mass marketing through three dedicated LA Dank websites, as well as social media platforms like Instagram where individual crew members advertised LA Dank branded clothing and LA Dank branded marijuana that could be bought directly online. Although the websites themselves appeared professional, LA Dank was not a licensed company to operate in the District of Columbia.</p>
<p>Akindkuro and his fellow crew members also used short-term rental properties to set up stash houses or points of sale that were used to conduct drug distribution operations before moving on to different locations.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Busts</strong></span></p>
<p>Law enforcement executed its first residential search warrant on June 15, 2021, at the 1900 block of Whistling Duck Drive, Upper Marlboro, MD, after law enforcement observed multiple LA Dank crew members and purchasers traveling to and from the premises. Akinduro arrived at the location as while the search was in process. An FBI search of Akinduro’s vehicle revealed a loaded pistol in the center console, a suitcase in the trunk that was consistent with those found within the Whistling Duck house, and seven pounds of marijuana.</p>
<p>Even after the seizure of his vehicle, Akinduro continued to participate in the conspiracy and to possess additional firearms.</p>
<p>Akinduro and his LA Dank co-conspirators operated numerous stash houses in the D.C. area. Two of these locations, used by Akinduro himself, were separate long-term rentals in a hotel on the 300 block of N Street, Northeast. On December 21, 2021, the FBI executed search warrants on both units. In the first, the FBI recovered a Glock 19 9mm caliber pistol with a machine gun conversion device installed, an AR-style pistol, an AR firearm magazine loaded with 25 5.56 caliber rounds, 68 grams of marijuana, a digital scale, and a laptop labeled “LA Dank Exotics.” In the second, the FBI recovered a Glock 26 9mm caliber pistol with a machine gun conversion device installed, a second Glock 26 9 mm caliber pistol, a 9 mm caliber ammunition box, 40 pounds of marijuana, a scale, a money counter, and approximately $18,000.00 in cash. Akinduro and defendant Duncan occupied the second unit at the time of the execution of the search warrant. Akinduro discussed a “switch on the glizzy” in an Instagram post, suggesting that he was aware of the fully automatic capabilities of firearms with machine gun conversion devices installed.</p>
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Washington-region drug boss with ties to Jalisco New Generation Cartel gets over 12 years for “meth infused candle wax”
https://gangstersinc.org/blog/washington-region-drug-boss-with-ties-to-jalisco-new-generation-c
2023-03-02T16:44:28.000Z
2023-03-02T16:44:28.000Z
Gangsters Inc.
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<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10978867701?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p>By <a href="http://www.gangstersinc.org" target="_blank">Gangsters Inc.</a> Editors</p>
<p>One of the leaders of a violent international drug trafficking organization that distributed heroin, fentanyl, and methamphetamine in the Puget Sound region was sentenced Tuesday over 12 years in prison. 37-year-old Jose Elias Barbosa, of Kent, Washington, had a leadership role in a massive narcotics trafficking organization that used guns and threats of violence to collect debts.</p>
<p>Barbosa <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/blog/washington-drug-boss-with-ties-to-jalisco-new-generation-cartel-p" target="_blank">pleaded guilty</a> in August 2022. Law enforcement has linked the organization to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel in Mexico. In November 2019, the group received a shipment of liquid methamphetamine concealed in candles. Barbosa helped underlings extract the methamphetamine and cook it into crystal form at a Port Orchard, Washington location.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Busted</strong></span></p>
<p>While surveilling the Port Orchard residence, law enforcement heard multiple gunshots and later learned Barbosa had been shot in the collarbone. Members of the drug ring grew concerned law enforcement would arrive at the Port Orchard house, so they loaded the meth infused candle wax into a van. The van was later stopped by law enforcement who seized the meth and the processing equipment.</p>
<p>In all, Barbosa was responsible for the distribution of at least 55 pounds of methamphetamine, 600 grams of heroin, and fentanyl throughout Western Washington and elsewhere.</p>
<p>The wiretapped phone calls revealed that Barbosa pursued those who owed drug debts to the organization and possessed firearms during the drug conspiracy. According to the plea agreement, on one occasion, Barbosa took a car from another crew member to satisfy a drug debt. Barbosa later threatened that same member. The wiretapped calls show Barbosa and others talked frequently about kidnappings, assaults, and even murders as ways to get debtors to pay up.</p>
<ul>
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Three drug trafficking groups with Cartel ties busted in Washington and California
https://gangstersinc.org/blog/three-drug-trafficking-groups-with-cartel-ties-busted-in-washingt
2022-10-30T09:56:21.000Z
2022-10-30T09:56:21.000Z
Gangsters Inc.
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<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10858127275?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p>By <a href="http://www.gangstersinc.org" target="_blank">Gangsters Inc.</a> Editors</p>
<p>Three significant drug trafficking groups responsible for trafficking more than 1,000 pounds of methamphetamine and hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills were indicted on Tuesday. Two indictments charging a total of eleven defendants were unsealed following law enforcement activity in two states. Six additional defendants were indicted and arrested in September. Despite the arrests tied to a wiretap investigation, the traffickers named in the most recent indictments continued their trafficking activities.</p>
<p>“These individuals were bringing large loads of meth, heroin, fentanyl and cocaine from <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/drug-cartels" target="_blank">Mexico</a> across the border and up I-5 to the Pacific Northwest,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. “Even when an RV loaded with drugs was pulled off the highway and seized by law enforcement, they weren’t deterred. The wiretap revealed various organizations continued to recruit drivers and vehicles to transport their drugs throughout our District.”</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Dope, cash, and guns on the table</strong></span></p>
<p>Even before Tuesday’s search of 14 locations in Washington and California, the drug, gun, and cash totals seized by law enforcement were significant: 1,016 pounds of meth; 9 kilos of fentanyl powder and 330,000 fentanyl pills; 25 kilos of cocaine; and 15.5 kilos of heroin. Law enforcement seized 43 guns and more than $1 million in cash.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>READ: </strong><a href="https://gangstersinc.org/blog/befriending-a-capo-in-the-medellin-cartel-how-an-undercover-unit" target="_blank"><strong>Befriending a capo in the Medellin Cartel: How an undercover unit infiltrated the global drug trade</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p>“This operation would be considered a success purely by the volume of illegal drugs taken off the streets” said Richard A. Collodi, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Seattle field office. “When we consider a drug trafficking organization was dismantled and the number of illegal firearms recovered through our federal and local partnerships, the positive impact to the Puget Sound region will be immediately felt.”</p>
<p>“The amount of dangerous narcotics seized during this investigation is staggering,” said Jacob D. Galvan, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Seattle Field Division. “Just looking at the fentanyl seized, since four out of 10 fake pills contain a lethal dose, that was enough to kill 132,000 people. This investigation shows our state, local and federal partnerships are needed so we can keep our communities safe, healthy, and free from these dangerous narcotics.”</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>READ: </strong><a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/top-dog-colombian-drug-cartel-places-price-on-head-of-police-dog" target="_blank"><strong>Top Dog: Colombian drug cartel places price on head of police dog</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p>Those named in the indictments unsealed yesterday include:</p>
<ul>
<li> Jose Paleo, 29, of La Mirada, California</li>
<li> Octavio Guzman, 24, of Huntington Park, California</li>
<li> Glauco Guardado Rodriguez, 25, of Seattle</li>
<li> Araceli Salas, 30, of Maywood, California</li>
<li> Maria Rangel Aguilar, 44, of Huntington Park, California</li>
<li> Miguel Thomas, 33, of Tukwila, Washington</li>
<li> Tad Fulton, 48, of Seattle</li>
<li> Ryan Holmquist, 34, of Issaquah, Washington</li>
<li> Timothy Hursh, 38, of SeaTac, Washington</li>
<li> Ryan Terry, 44, of Duval, Washington</li>
<li> Abel Cruz, 32, of Des Moines, Washington</li>
</ul>
<p>Six defendants were arrested earlier this year on a September 21, 2022, indictment:</p>
<ul>
<li> Agustin Gutierrez Valencia, 32, of Kent, Washington</li>
<li> Daniel Vazquez Arroyo, 32, of Kent, Washington</li>
<li> Rosalio Reynoso Arellano, 51, of Los Angeles</li>
<li> Ernesto Casillas, 46, of Los Angeles</li>
<li> Benigno Hernandez aka Ivan Santos Arellano, 32, of Kent, Washington</li>
<li> Jesus Toledo Pardo, 56, of SeaTac, Washington</li>
</ul>
<p>Two additional defendants were arrested on criminal complaints yesterday:</p>
<ul>
<li> Luis Valenzuela-Haro, 32, of Seattle</li>
<li> Michael Kinzel, 37, of Renton, Washington</li>
</ul>
<p>As for totals from the searches on Tuesday, law enforcement seized more than 2 kilos of fentanyl, 4.5 kilos of heroin, 10 pounds of methamphetamine and 67 firearms. Also taken by law enforcement: high-capacity rifle magazines, thousands of rounds of ammunition, two sets of body armor, one ballistic shield.</p>
<p>The defendants are charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute. Because of the amount of drugs involved, many face a mandatory minimum 10 years in prison. One defendant is charged with carrying a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime, which leads to an enhanced sentence. One group of defendants is charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Back to the <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/organized-crime-in">Organized Crime in North America section</a> on Gangsters Inc.</strong></li>
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Washington drug boss with ties to Jalisco New Generation Cartel pleads guilty
https://gangstersinc.org/blog/washington-drug-boss-with-ties-to-jalisco-new-generation-cartel-p
2022-09-05T07:44:10.000Z
2022-09-05T07:44:10.000Z
Gangsters Inc.
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<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10803720701?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p>By <a href="http://www.gangstersinc.org" target="_blank">Gangsters Inc.</a> Editors</p>
<p>One of the leaders of a violent drug trafficking crew that distributed heroin, fentanyl, and methamphetamine in the Puget Sound region pleaded guilty on Monday, August 29. 37-year-old Jose Elias Barbosa, of Kent, Washington, faces a mandatory minimum ten years in prison and up to life in prison when he is sentenced on December 13, 2022.</p>
<p>In his plea agreement, Barbosa admitted he was one of the leaders of the drug crew, which had ties to the <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/drug-cartels" target="_blank">Jalisco New Generation Cartel</a> in Mexico, one of the country’s most powerful crime groups.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>READ: Mexico's most powerful drug lord - </strong><a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/profile-jalisco-cartel-boss-nemesio-oseguera-cervantes" target="_blank"><strong>Profile: Jalisco cartel boss Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p>In November 2019, Barbosa’s organization received a shipment of liquid methamphetamine concealed in candles. Barbosa helped crew members to extract the methamphetamine and cook it into crystal form at a Port Orchard, Washington location. Barbosa was responsible for the distribution of at least 55 pounds of methamphetamine, 600 grams of heroin, and fentanyl throughout Western Washington and elsewhere.</p>
<p>Barbosa also pursued those who owed drug debts to the organization. According to the plea agreement, on one occasion, Barbosa took a car from another crew member to satisfy a drug debt. Barbosa later threatened that same member.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Back to the <a href="https://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/drug-cartels">Drug Cartels section</a> on Gangsters Inc.</strong></li>
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The Blind Kingpin is Punished: Blind rapper Mac Wayne gets 6 years in prison for drug trafficking
https://gangstersinc.org/blog/the-blind-kingpin-is-punished-blind-rapper-mac-wayne-gets-6-years
2022-08-12T10:50:48.000Z
2022-08-12T10:50:48.000Z
Gangsters Inc.
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<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10764149859?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p>By David Amoruso for <a href="http://www.gangstersinc.org" target="_blank">Gangsters Inc.</a></p>
<p>Choices. Everyone gets to a point where they need to choose between different paths. 37-year-old Wayne Frisby was no different. Would he be a drug dealer or a successful music artist? He can’t be both – well, not for long.</p>
<p>Going by the artist name “Mac Wayne,” Frisby, who is legally blind after reportedly shooting himself in the head as a teenager, was profiled in an Amazon Prime documentary titled “Blind and Battered, the Blind Kingpin.” The documentary chronicles his life and, in it, he freely discusses his work as a drug dealer and pimp.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.gangstersinc.org" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10764150867,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="10764150867?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="667" /></a>It’s common for (gangster) rappers to use their criminal past as a way to gain credit with listeners and fans. The goal, by telling these stories, is to sell more records. But it’s a bad idea if they are still involved in crime. Frisby never seemed to have any intention to give up his old life. He simply went about his daily business while being a parttime rapper.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>READ: </strong><a href="https://gangstersinc.org/blog/from-grammys-to-prison-rap-artist-fetty-wap-caught-in-100kg-multi" target="_blank"><strong>From Grammys to prison: Rap artist Fetty Wap caught in 100KG multimillion-dollar drug trafficking organization bust</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p>In December of 2020, he was one of eleven people indicted in connection with a drug trafficking ring distributing heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl pills in Pierce, King, Snohomish, and Lewis Counties in Washington.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Dope on the table</strong></span></p>
<p>The drug ring takedown was the third in a series of wiretap cases. All told, the search warrants executed in this case resulted in the seizure of approximately 93 pounds of methamphetamine, 15 pounds of heroin, 35,000 suspected fentanyl pills, 24 firearms, approximately $525,000, and a bank account valued at $100,000. Seizures made prior to December 16, 2020, included more than 154 pounds of methamphetamine, 20 pounds of heroin, and more than 7,000 suspected fentanyl pills.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>“A gritty, dangerous business”</strong></span></p>
<p><a href="http://www.gangstersinc.org" target="_blank"><img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10764149700,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="10764149700?profile=RESIZE_400x" width="313" /></a>Frisby was heard on the wiretap ordering up pound quantities of methamphetamine and significant amounts of heroin. Other recordings have him discussing firearms he carried or his efforts to assist a partner who shot another man in Marysville in a drug deal gone wrong.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>READ: </strong><a href="https://gangstersinc.org/blog/music-business-execs-arrested-for-working-with-promoter-with-ties" target="_blank"><strong>Music business execs arrested for working with promoter with ties to Mexican drug cartels</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p>Agents were able to identify Frisby as the person on the phone by comparing his voice to the Amazon Prime documentary made about his life. As said before; talking about your life of crime while actively committing crimes isn’t the smartest thing to do.</p>
<p>On May 6, 2022, Frisby pleaded guilty to drug charges. On Tuesday, he was sentenced to 6 years in prison.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>READ: <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/music-label-or-violent-gang-original-block-hustlaz-provided-sound" target="_blank">Music label or violent gang? Original Block Hustlaz provided soundtrack while it flooded Philadelphia with drugs</a></strong></li>
</ul>
<p>“Mr. Frisby gained notoriety through his drug dealing and self-promotion, but his conduct was serious and put countless lives at risk,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. “Drug trafficking is a gritty, dangerous business, and one that is ruining lives across our state. Those who make it their life are destined to spend time behind bars.”</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Back to the <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/organized-crime-in">Organized Crime in North America section</a> or <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/street-gangs">Street Gangs section</a> section on Gangsters Inc.</strong></li>
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<p><strong>Copyright © Gangsters Inc.</strong></p></div>
Jalisco New Generation Cartel drug distributor gets 9 years for trafficking meth and heroin in Washington
https://gangstersinc.org/blog/jalisco-new-generation-cartel-drug-distributor-gets-9-years-for-t
2022-05-12T15:40:12.000Z
2022-05-12T15:40:12.000Z
Gangsters Inc.
https://gangstersinc.org/members/GangstersInc
<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10482350098?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p>By <a href="http://www.gangstersinc.org" target="_blank">Gangsters Inc.</a> Editors</p>
<p>A significant drug distributor for the Jalisco New Generation Cartel was sentenced in Seattle district court on Tuesday to 9 years in prison. 32-year-old Adrian Izazaga-Martinez, of Kent, Washington, “was a high-level drug redistributor for a trafficking organization that was bringing upwards of 20-pound shipments of meth and heroin into our area,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown.</p>
<p>A multi-agency law enforcement team, which included the DEA and ATF, began investigating drug trafficking tied to the <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/drug-cartels" target="_blank">Jalisco New Generation Cartel</a> between September 2019 and December 2020. During the investigation, agents conducted thousands of hours of physical and electronic surveillance, secured tracking warrants for more than 100 telephones and/or vehicles, obtained authorization to intercept more than 25 target telephones and executed search warrants at suspected drug traffickers’ residences.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>READ: </strong><a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/norman-s-cay-from-notorious-cocaine-pipeline-of-the-medellin-cart" target="_blank"><strong>Norman’s Cay: From cocaine pipeline of the Medellin Cartel to a fraudulent festival for rich millennials</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p>The investigation revealed the trafficking organization was bringing in large amounts of meth and heroin as well as fentanyl-laced pills and cocaine. The distribution ring operated in King, Snohomish, Lewis, and Pierce Counties. The investigation also revealed members of the ring were plotting assaults, kidnappings and intimidation using firearms – law enforcement had to intervene multiple times in an effort to prevent violence.</p>
<p>Izazaga-Martinez was heard on the telephone wiretaps discussing guns and threats. When he was arrested in Kent, Washington, on July 28, 2020, he had nearly $2,500 in cash. Investigators found ammunition in the car he had been riding in.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>READ: </strong><a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/aiming-for-el-mencho-dea-led-operation-targeting-cartel-jalisco-n" target="_blank"><strong>Aiming for El Mencho: DEA-led operation targeting Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación sees over 600 arrests</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p>He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances on February 8, 2022.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Long sentence justified</strong></span></p>
<p>In recommending an 11-year sentence, prosecutors noted that Izazaga-Martinez was repeatedly heard on the wiretap discussing guns and threats of violence. They also noted the huge amount of narcotics linked to the drug trafficking organization.</p>
<p>At the sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge John C. Cougheour said, “the size of the drug trafficking organization, the quantity of drugs, and the violence involved,” justify the long prison term.</p>
<p>“The risks of synthetic opioids, like methamphetamine, are well documented – according to the University of Washington Addictions, Drug & Alcohol Institute, state drug poisonings went up by approximately 30% in 2020, with methamphetamine and other synthetic opioids (mostly fentanyl) comprising ‘a growing share of drug-caused deaths,’” prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memo.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Back to the <a href="https://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/drug-cartels">Drug Cartels section</a> on Gangsters Inc.</strong></li>
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<p><strong>Copyright © Gangsters Inc.</strong></p></div>