Dem-Run City Police Chief Praises Patel, FBI After Big Drug Bust

Federal agents carried out a massive pre-dawn raid Friday targeting the open-air drug market that has long plagued Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood — a stronghold of fentanyl and violent crime that has drawn national attention for years.

The coordinated operation, led by FBI Director Kash Patel under President Donald Trump’s Project Safe Neighborhoods Recon initiative, marks one of the largest anti-narcotics crackdowns in Philadelphia in more than a decade.

“Today, even more criminals are off the streets because of the diligent work of the FBI and our partners,” Patel said in a statement. “Over 30 people have been charged for their alleged role in drug trafficking and dozens of other offenses. These individuals were charged with distributing fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine on one of the most prolific drug blocks in Philadelphia.”

“They were members of a violent drug trafficking organization and used violence to enforce their territory and sell drugs that poison our city streets and community. The FBI will continue our work to put an end to drug trafficking and violence in our cities,” Patel added.

Local Leaders Praise Federal Action

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel lauded the operation and credited the FBI for strengthening partnerships with local law enforcement.

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

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche echoed the sentiment, emphasizing that the Department of Justice under President Trump remains committed to restoring safety and accountability in crime-ridden neighborhoods.

“Drug traffickers who poison our communities and enforce their territory through violence will face the full force of federal law,” Blanche said. “Working alongside our state and local partners, the Department of Justice will continue to dismantle these criminal networks, hold violent offenders accountable, and restore safety to neighborhoods that have suffered for far too long.”

33 Defendants Charged in Multi-State Sweep

According to U.S. Attorney David Metcalf for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the federal indictment unsealed Friday charges 33 individuals connected to the Weymouth Street Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO). The group allegedly ran the 3100 block of Weymouth Street — described as “one of the most prolific drug corridors in Philadelphia” — between January 2016 and October 2025.

Authorities say the Weymouth DTO’s operation extended to nearby intersections and surrounding areas, functioning as an around-the-clock open-air market for fentanyl, heroin, crack cocaine, and other narcotics.

Prosecutors allege that the group used extreme violence — including shootings, assaults, and retaliatory attacks — to maintain control and intimidate rivals.

Key defendants include:

• Jose Antonio Morales Nieves, 45, of Luquillo, Puerto Rico — accused of overseeing the organization and collecting “rent” from local dealers.
• Ramon Roman-Montanez, 40, of Philadelphia — alleged to have managed day-to-day operations.
• Nancy Rios-Valentin, 33, of Philadelphia — charged with maintaining the group’s financial operations.

Nationwide Coordination and Arrests

The operation spanned multiple states and territories — including Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, and Puerto Rico — and involved more than nine tactical teams and several hundred agents and officers from the FBI, DEA, and Philadelphia Police Department.

In total, 24 suspects were arrested Friday morning, eight others were already in custody, and one remains at large.

Federal authorities say the arrests signal a renewed era of collaboration between federal and local law enforcement to reclaim neighborhoods ravaged by drugs and violence.

“This is how we take back our streets,” a senior law enforcement official told The Post. “Real leadership, real coordination, and zero tolerance for the criminals destroying our communities.”