Nearly Two Dozen Alleged Rival Gang Members In Chester Charged With Drug Trafficking, Firearms Offenses
CHESTER, Pa. (CBS) - Nearly two dozen members of a rival drug trafficking groups in Chester are now off the streets. Authorities announced their arrests and unsealed indictments involving 22 people in a news conference on Wednesday.
The indictments are sweeping in nature and detail the 11 criminal enterprises of two rival drug gangs controlling and warring over territory in the city of Chester. The indictment spans from May 2016 until last month.
Prosecutors say it was an ongoing "reign of terror" at the hands of these rival drug gangs.
The two rival groups are the "3rd Bone" -- also known as "3BM" -- DTG and the "William Penn" -- "the Pen" or "Ject Boyz" -- DTG.
They deal with specific geographical locations in Chester.
On Wednesday morning, federal agents, state police from Pennsylvania and Delaware, the district attorney's office, and Chester police raided a number of locations and took 13 people in. These charges are dealing with the distribution of crack cocaine, fentanyl and heroin.
Prosecutors say the rivalry got so intense, that in February 2019 the head of one of the gangs was involved in a shooting and then, in turn, put out a bounty on a rival's head. They say the gang members used police scanners to warn one another. They also used intelligence to thwart potential police activity and investigations on their trail.
"These two groups have operated drug territories next to each other and have terrorized the community members living and working in this area. But today, this reign of terror ends," U.S. Attorney William McSwain said.
Prosecutors say they are confident in believing they have destroyed from the inside out these two rivaling gangs in Chester.
Of those 22 people arrested, 13 will make their first appearances before a federal magistrate at 1:30 p.m.
CBS3's Joe Holden contributed to this report.
