Yesterday, a cadre of six individuals were swept up by law enforcement, their alleged crime: running a drug trafficking scheme out of Potomac Gardens Housing Project in Southeast Washington D.C., a sting that pulled fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine from the streets and culminated in a series of charges detailed by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the Washington Field Office.
The suspects, spanning ages from 36 to 74, are Robert Hunt, Garrett Isley, Maurice Tutt, Vera Jackson, all of Washington, D.C., along with Michael Augment of Lorton, Virginia, and Lawrence Smith of Fairfax, Virginia – their arrests follow a long-term investigation by the FBI, local police and several state law enforcement agencies into narcotics and firearms trafficking, all part of a federal indictment that paints a picture of an organized and dangerous drug operation. Graves stated, as per the U.S. Department of Justice, "Drug trafficking operations, like the one alleged in the indictment, not only peddle poison, but they are also magnets for gun violence", while Geist underscored the gravity of the substances involved saying, "Fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine have no place in our community", their commentary highlighted the pernicious effect such operations yield on public health and safety.
An undercover stint by the Metropolitan Police Department in December last year flagged Hunt as a primary suspect, known to traffic fentanyl out of Potomac Gardens; by way of court-sanctioned surveillance and a wiretap on Hunt's phone, the scope of the operation unfurled, revealing its multiple actors and their respective roles in the drug circle as per the U.S. Attorney's Office announcement.
With a strategic traffic stop and synchronized raids at alleged stash houses yesterday, the task force unearthed firearms, cash north of $30,000, about half a kilogram of suspected fentanyl, and assortments of illegal drugs denoting the dark trade and toll the narcotics had taken; the OCDETF investigation has been a concerted effort to dismantle high-level drug traffickers that threaten public order and health, as it is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Offices in collaboration with a network of law enforcement agencies.
