"His goal," Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Ferman said, "was to take over the region's drug trade."

Instead, Ferman announced yesterday, the Pottstown man was among 25 people charged in a drug sweep made possible, in large part, by Brinkley's brazen yapping on his cell phone.

"I don't want to be a part-time player," he said in one call.

"When they see you out there, they see me," he told another associate. "They know if something happen, I'm coming like Rambo."

Most of those charged were Brinkley's underlings in a marijuana and cocaine network that extended from upper Montgomery County into Chester, Berks and Lehigh Counties, Ferman said. Some, including Brinkley, had lengthy criminal records. All but seven were in custody yesterday on drug and racketeering charges.

The investigation was dubbed "Operation Roach Motel," playing off Brinkley's nickname.

"In a lot of ways, drug dealers are like roaches; we squash one, and then another comes in," Ferman said.

The busts grew out of a separate investigation three years ago that had identified Brinkley as a major figure in the area's drug trade, Ferman said. But his threatening ways made it difficult for investigators to penetrate his operation.

"He was very elusive; we had trouble getting information about him," she said. "Our informants were absolutely terrified of this man."

By June, investigators had developed enough evidence to obtain court approval to tap Brinkley's cell phone.

Along with the boasting and aspirations, authorities heard his frustration with a short supply of local cocaine. At one point, Ferman said, Brinkley traveled to Miami in search of more, only to be robbed himself.

"We heard him talking about settling the score with guns and muscles and what he was going to do to retaliate," Ferman said.

Ultimately, Brinkley worked with David Mayes, identified as a supplier from Berks County. When Mayes started to flaunt his drugs and money, Brinkley began plotting to rob him, Ferman said.

That alarmed investigators enough to end their probe prematurely, before any huge transactions had occurred.

"Oftentimes these robberies between drug dealers turn into murder. We couldn't allow that to happen," Ferman said.

As it was, a series of 20 searches on July 26 netted more than 500 grams of cocaine, six firearms, more than $26,000 cash, seven seized vehicles, and an indoor marijuana-growing operation. Brinkley and Mayes were among 11 suspects arrested during those searches.