Far more people were directly mentioned, implicated in crimes or alluded to in court documents and hearings. It wasnt until the bodies started piling up in crack houses across the city that the realization dawned: Kansas City was being invaded by violent Jamaican drug gangs. Previous DiNunzio's Boston mob crew back in the government's crosshairs. A few minutes later, driving through a sprawling north side housing project--a supermarket of crack, Barton calls it--Harris called out to a group of young men standing outside in the drizzle. . Today, our thoughts are with the victims, their families, and a community that has suffered for many years.. In 2006, a jury found Wright guilty of numerous charges, including the drug-related killings of Birks and two other men. U.S. Attorney's Office A Kansas City, Mo., man who was arrested last night during the police standoff in the 2300 block of Blue Ridge Boulevard has been charged in federal court for offenses A Joplin and Webb City, Mo., man was indicted by a federal grand jury today for drug trafficking and illegally possessing firearms. Carlos Tapia, a man they knew as a dedicated father with no criminal history, was a drug mule. Michigan. which represents the proceeds of illegal drug trafficking. For example, the indictment alleges that Dennys Sermeno-Campos attempted to ship $76,000 that had been wrapped in eight bundles in duct tape, carbon paper and dryer sheets and concealed within a hollowed-out computer tower from Raytown, Mo., to Sun Valley, Calif., on July 15, 2013. Arron L. Hall, 42, of Kansas City, was charged with three counts of distributing methamphetamine and marijuana from May 5 to June 10, 2021. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. In addition to the conspiracies, Jimenez-Cimental is charged with two counts of distributing cocaine, two counts of distributing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and one count of distributing heroin. KANSAS CITY, Mo. They said they were just a group of guys who grew up together around 51st Street. 1 at the time, said James Herrington, a retired Kansas City police detective who spent years investigating the group. The man and woman were arrested, Flesch said, and police started taking items out in brown paper bags. . On Jan. 22, 2020, Armendariz . Debate over drug charges is now Kansas City's consequence for weed legalization. Springfield woman at'ground zero' of drug ring gets 22 months in prison, Ozarks women indicted for meth feds say they found (some in underwear), 4 men tried to sneak meth into Christian County Jail and it almost worked, Prosecutors ask for life sentence for 'career offender' in Springfield meth ring, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Three victims were wounded in the early afternoon shooting at Westport, and witnesses described two . The Midwest was attractive to them in the first place because of the lack of competition. They were used because they were cheaper and easily recruited and because of what Barton called weaknesses in the juvenile justice system. Faced with decades in federal prison, people started flipping. Allow us a personal aside . Christopher J. Hicks-Berry, 35, Kansas City, Mo. Some police officers were concerned about the growing presence of Jamaican criminals here as early as 1983. In 1985 in Kansas City, 91 homicides were reported. Tragically, hundreds of Alaskans have died from a drug overdose before reaching recovery. He almost immediately began killing again, prosecutors say. They would get out on bail and disappear. But in the Midwest they are still very much a problem.. It was in 1983 that Tommy Williams first became concerned about the Jamaicans. . To that end, the rival gangs have joined forces in the Midwest, as have the Jamaicans. Drug dealers, on the other hand, are entrepreneurs. Marcus Harris. It was a problem on the coasts back then, but nowhere else. $15.50 + $4.90 shipping. A confidential source bought cocaine several times from Walters and told law officers he saw several grams of cocaine in kitchen cabinets at Walters' house, the news release states. Abcarian: Mask mandates? Both Long and Williams later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. The Drug Enforcement Administration believes the group was responsible for bringing hundreds of pounds into the Ozarks. Kansas City police formed the departments career criminal unit largely because they needed a better way to battle the 51st Street Crips, Herrington said. The National Read Across America Day takes place every year on March 2, Geisels birthday. Equivalent Of More Than 250,000 'Doses' (144lbs.) However, thanks to insiders, our blog community is getting a sneak peek at the rising debate. A federal judge . A woman was also located. Jung died in 2021. Yet according to police, the Crips grew so feared in the community, it became difficult for investigators to persuade people to step up and testify against them. Golubski was seen taking money from Brooks, who allowed the detective to choose girls to provide him sexual services, according to the indictment. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. "In terms of quantity, meth is still our biggest problem . Allegedly aiding in the California portion of the drug-trafficking operation were Monica Soto-Garcia (Zazueta-Valenzuelas wife and Ramon Soto-Garcias sister), Aurelia Castillo (Victor Castillo-Sotos wife) and Perez. Drug Use by State: Problem Areas. The money from the drug sales was transferred back to California in a number of ways, according to the indictment, such as shipments in computer towers by Dennys Sermeno-Campos and the electronic transfer of funds by Rosalia Avila. BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Prosecutors indicted seven suspected drug dealers and seized a large amount of fentanyl after a drug sting in Baltimore. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Federal court documents show agents arrested four people Tuesday and an additional 21 people on Wednesday. Formed in about 2010, the Jalisco cartel is the strongest and most aggressive competitor to the Sinaloa. . A lot of these guys were recruited from Jamaica. . "Everything went to hell in a handbasket, Flesch said. Armendariz-Rascon, of Kansas City, Kansas, is among 13 people from the Kansas City area who were brought up on criminal charges related to the long-running drug ring. . Flesch specifically recalled a man who rode in on a motorcycle and sported a blue or purple mohawk. He called the weapons the best that could be purchased., Ive seen pictures that weve gotten from crack houses where they posed with weapons and had their photographs taken with guns sticking in the air, very much like in the pictures of Western posses.. FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports. COVID origins? They then broke into a safe at the station and stole two submachine guns, two M-16 assault rifles and three .38-calibre revolvers.. Cable Dahmer Chevrolet of Kansas City. Drug-Dealing 'Posses' : Jamaicans: New Faces in U.S. Crime. As the Jamaicans in Kansas City have gone underground as a result of a successful crackdown started by a law enforcement task force in 1986, the Crips and Bloods--Los Angeles gangs--have moved in to help fill the void. Theyre not here to recruit for their gangs or anything along those lines, Barton said. On the face of it, this Midwestern city seemed a peculiar choice. The indictment alleges that Jose Soto-Garcia, Gilberto Castillo-Soto, Victor Castillo-Soto, Jose Zazueta-Valenzuela, Missael Soto-Vejar, Oscar Lopez-Perez, Aurelio Jimenez-Cimental, Francisco Alvarado-Soto, Rosalia Avila, Dennys Sermeno-Campos and Aurelia Castillo participated in a conspiracy to conduct financial transactions that involved the proceeds of the unlawful drug-trafficking activity to promote the activity; these transactions allegedly were designed in whole or in part to conceal the nature, the location, the source, the ownership and the control of the proceeds. The group at one point was supplying 10 to 20 kilos (22 to 44 pounds) of cocaine a week to local drug dealers in the Kansas City metro area, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration said. I dont know what the reason is or what it is about their culture that causes this. That economic incentive spurs creativity, innovation, and efficiency. Next Youngstown Boys | ESPN 30 for 30. The indictment also alleges that Aurelio Jimenez-Cimental arranged a meeting between an undercover law enforcement officer of the Jackson County Drug TaskForce and Oscar Lopez-Perez and Victor Castillo-Soto to discuss moving money to California. If they outwit the officers, they make big money. Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar is currently the most wanted criminal in India, with a reward of $25 million being offered in return for his capture. Long, a convicted murderer, served as the gangs enforcer. Weeks after being released from a Missouri prison in 2013, he allegedly resumed killing in Kansas City. Officers said no one was injured in the shooting, but at least one car was destroyed by gunfire. He was particularly known for cutting out middlemen in the drug trade and buying heroin directly from his source in the Golden Triangle. Authorities say they have traced shipments of guns and money from the posse members in the United States to Kingston, leading to speculation that next springs elections in Jamaica may be even bloodier than the 1980 election, although both of the candidates for prime minister deny that their parties are connected to the gangs and have made repeated calls for peace. KANSAS CITY, Mo. The federal indictment alleges that all 26 defendants participated in a conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, five kilograms or more of cocaine and one kilogram or more of heroin from June 2013 to June 2014. Kansas City, MO 64106, Telephone:(816) 426-3122 Article. a l. I guess the cops were watching them, too, but I didnt know that, Flesch said. When you create or This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Its still $120 a gram here while it sells for $60 to $70 a gram in South Florida. Jose Ramon Soto-Garcia, also known as Monky, Mon, and Ramon Del Monte, 27, Jesus Hernandez-Mujica, also known as Chenton, 32, Ricardo Hernandez-Mujica, also known as Pollo, 29, Maurio Belgrave, 31, Nefeg Isaac Aguilar-Valle, 27, Alejandro Salas, also known as Oliver Echeverry-Flamenco and Panocha, 30, Sergio Flores, 43, Sylvia Marron, 37, and Ivan Orion Rueda-Simental, 22, all of Kansas City, Mo. But the Jamaicans helped change that--fast. A locked padlock This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bruce E. Clark. Updated October 21, 2022 8:13 AM. This morning we have important followup on a longstanding debate betwixt the courthouse vs. the police. Officers seized 27 firearms, more than 1,800 rounds of ammunition, 11.1 kilograms of . Nothing? Other homes were raided over the next few days. Harris knows many of the small-time drug dealers--the local entrepreneurs, as Barton calls them, who are helping to satisfy the high demand for crack created by the Jamaicans. During that Oct. 4, 2013, meeting, Oscar Lopez-Perez and Victor Castillo-Soto allegedly attempted to give the undercover officer $350,000 to transport. His father was part of his life and he has a tight, extended family., I can tell you that he is very intelligent, Toney said. He and other police officers noticed that Jamaican nationals were being arrested here on drug charges in increasing numbers. KANSAS CITY, Mo. Sometimes he takes it on himself to talk to them, to try to help them straighten out their young lives. Drug-Dealing & # x27 ;: Jamaicans: New Faces in U.S. Crime and a that. Problem on the other hand, are entrepreneurs weaknesses in the drug trade and heroin! Said, and efficiency started flipping however, thanks to insiders, our thoughts are with the,. 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