Seven men arrested in heroin distribution ring
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Seven men arrested in heroin distribution ring
Seven men from Kensington, Fairhill, Hunting Park and North Philadelphia are each facing 17 drug and conspiracy charges after police, the DEA and the District Attorney's Dangerous Drug Offenders Unit busted them running a heroin distribution ring Tuesday.
The bust was a result of Attorney General Eric Holder sending 50 officers to Philadelphia as part of a surge in federal law enforcement helping the city address violent and drug-related crime, said Tasha Jamerson, spokeswoman for the District Attorney's office.
After two teenagers were gunned down March 12 by a man using an AK-47 on 9th Street near Indiana Avenue, authorities identified the 25th police district in North Philadelphia as a target area to closely monitor.
Working from a tip supplied by a confidential DEA source, authorities began investigating an open air heroin market, which was allegedly being run by Carlos Esobar, 40 of Kensington and Miguel "Jose" Gomez, 55, of Fairhill, Jamerson said.
The drug ring was apparently based on 7th and Cambria Streets, which is a few blocks away from the scene of the double shooting homicide.
Officials seized 52 bundles of heroin and arrested 40 people throughout the summer, including the seven men who allegedly ran the drug distribution ring.
Charges against the seven men were announced Wednesday and the men, ranging from 26 to 55-years-old, are scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 27, said Tasha Jamerson, spokeswoman for the District Attorney.
The following men were arrested for allegedly running the drug ring:
Carlos Escobar, 40, of Hartville Street near Ontario, Kensington
Miguel “Jose” Gomez, 55, Marshall Street near Cambria, Fairhill
Jorge Gonzalez, 37, Randolph Street near Erie, Hunting Park
Carlos Jiminez, 35, Indiana Avenue near Chalmers Avenue, North Philadelphia
Jose Ramos, 51, 6th Street near Allegheny Avenue, Fairhill
Pedro Mendez,34, Marshall Street near Wingohocking, Hunting Park
Melvin Montano, 26, Ontario near B Street, Kensington
Comment removed.- That neighborhood is largely Puerto Rican. Anyone from Puerto Rico is a US citizen, so where exactly are you planning to deport them? You might want to study some US territories before your next conservative/racist tirade.
— a1b2c3d4 - The usuaul suspects, the usual hood. Sounds like nothing but a PR stunt to me, or is the PPD really that incompetent that the DEA and feds were needed to corral these scumbags. I'm sure when I run these names on the Philly court docket website I'll see a long history of offenses and the usual slap on the wrists from the fine Judges of Philly.— TomM
- This area has been under seige by drug dealers and their walking dead customers for over a quarter century. All of a sudden the US Attorney General gets involved (election year) because two kids got killed or should I say kilt. What about the other hundreds of victims (non election year) that were killed or should I say kilt. Drugs like the drug dealers and junkies who seel and buy them will never go away. Legalize narcotics but don't let the liberal kumbaya crowd pass legislation to de-tox their sorry arses. You want to come off of your drug of choice , go sweat it out in the corner.— Mr. Barffington
- It took 50 Federal Officers to come to Phila to arrest 7 people and confiscate 42 bundles of dope?
Sounds like a waste of time. How come the Phila Police couldn't resolves this small issue?— Dexter - 52 bundles of heroin!!! In Philly, that's like 3 whole days in jail! Hopefully, these guys will get a tough judge and get at least 5 days.— LeavePhillyNow
Meanwhile at 8th and Cambria it's business as usual.— MODEREATER- Comment removed.
- Yes, there was an investigation which found that many are traveling to North Philadelphia from areas such as Lancaster, Altoona, and other locations in PA as the heroine sold in Philadelphia can be sold in their hometown at a profit. Continue to nail those agents/marketers in Philadelphia so as to drive up the costs. Hopefully enough arrests can be made to drive the price so high that Philly is no longer an ideal marketing location.— Moving On
- A1b.....you can always tell who the idiots are when they start with their insanity. The insane thing is unless the posters are Native Americans, maybe they need to go home. Then they can live around folks just like them.— philligrl
- Phils pen is still a little thin, any of these guys throw heat? If not, I'm sure there's a spot on the grounds crew.— gordon7
- For the record, the DEA co-opts PPD officer on a almost permanent basis.— BillyBob369
- Nice one, gordon7.— Steve Jeltz, the home-run king
- For the record, the DEA co-opts PPD officers on a almost permanent basis.— BillyBob369
- I'm wondering how many of these guys paid their income tax?— bearsfriend
