Federal authorities in Philadelphia announced on October 24, 2025, the results of a large-scale operation targeting the open-air drug market in the city’s Kensington neighborhood, one of the most violent and drug-plagued areas in the country.

The coordinated effort led to the indictment of 33 individuals accused of distributing fentanyl, heroin, crack cocaine, and cocaine throughout the region.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania unsealed the indictment, which focused on the Weymouth Street Drug Trafficking Organization.

Prosecutors allege the group controlled the 3100 block of Weymouth Street — described as the center of Kensington’s drug trade — from January 2016 through October 2025.

The investigation was carried out under the Project Safe Neighborhoods Recon initiative and involved the FBI, the Philadelphia Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and other local and federal partners.

The operation included 11 search warrants executed across Philadelphia, Puerto Rico, Delaware, and New Jersey. Nine tactical teams and hundreds of officers participated in the raids.

During the searches, authorities recovered firearms, cash, and large quantities of narcotics.

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Of the 33 individuals charged, 24 were arrested during the operation, eight were already in custody on unrelated charges and will be transferred to federal detention, and one suspect remains at large.

Key defendants named in the indictment include:

• Jose Antonio Morales Nieves, 45, of Luquillo, Puerto Rico, who is accused of overseeing the organization’s operations and charging “rent” to drug dealers operating on the block.
• Ramon Roman-Montanez, 40, of Philadelphia, identified as the organization’s day-to-day manager.
• Nancy Rios-Valentin, 33, of Philadelphia, who allegedly handled the group’s financial transactions.

Although the indictment does not include murder or shooting charges, federal prosecutors said the organization relied on violence and intimidation to maintain control of territory and to silence witnesses.

U.S. Attorney David Metcalf called the case “the largest federal indictment in this district in decades” and described it as part of a renewed federal strategy to treat open-air drug markets as organized criminal enterprises.

FBI Director Kash Patel commended the operation and its outcome, calling it a blueprint for urban crime reduction. “This takedown is how you safeguard American cities from coast to coast,” Patel said.

“We have permanently removed a drug trafficking organization off the streets of Philadelphia.”

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel credited federal cooperation for the success of the operation.

“We’re not going to apologize for removing people who terrorize our community. This is the model we can keep running,” Bethel said.

He added, “Director Patel, I appreciate the support. This is the work I constantly tell people. We are having SIGNIFICANT success across the city this year…it’s those relationships…it’s the FBI I would turn to to help us.”

Authorities said follow-up efforts will include public safety initiatives, community engagement programs, and continued enforcement to prevent other organizations from filling the power vacuum in the Kensington drug market.

Kensington has long been regarded as one of the nation’s most concentrated drug markets.

Between 2015 and 2019, its 1.4 square miles recorded more than 630 fatal overdoses.

The opioid crisis, initially driven by prescription painkillers, evolved into a wave of fentanyl and xylazine (“tranq”) distribution, leading to severe addiction and health consequences.

Gun violence has also plagued the area, with over 1,400 shootings reported between 2015 and 2022 near Kensington and Allegheny Avenues.

The COVID-19 pandemic intensified the crisis, with national overdose deaths rising by 27% in 2020.

Recent federal and local efforts, such as the 2024 Kensington Initiative, helped reduce overdose deaths in the area by 20% through a combination of targeted arrests and harm-reduction programs.

Officials said the October 2025 operation marks a major step toward dismantling entrenched criminal networks that have controlled the flow of fentanyl and other narcotics in the city for years.

Kensington remains a top enforcement priority for federal and local agencies due to its links to gang activity and cartel-connected trafficking of synthetic drugs like powdered xylazine.