Feds: 23 members of DC drug trafficking network arrested in just over a week

WASHINGTON ( DC News Now ) — In the past nine days, 23 people have been arrested as part of an ongoing effort targeting armed drug trafficking networks in the District, the U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO) announced Thursday.

Nine of the 23 arrests were made on Thursday alone – all of whom are believed to be connected with a Trinidad-based drug trafficking network. Three of the people arrested were charged in a 13-count indictment, alleging they were part of a conspiracy to distribute drugs and firearms.

These arrests follow another span of arrests made a week ago in which 15 people were charged for their involvement in a crew operating near 21st Street and Maryland Avenue Northwest, according to the USAO.

“Over the past nine days, as a result of a multi-agency investigation, we have arrested 24 individuals we allege have fueled drug trafficking and community violence in Washington, D.C.,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement.

Officials believe a relatively small group of people are the primary drivers of gun violence in the District, clustered in just a few blocks of the city.

Thursday’s arrests are part of an investigation into a drug market in Northeast D.C.’s Trinidad neighborhood. The investigation started nearly a year ago in response to “59 violent crime incidents and 119 bursts of gunfire occurring in the area from January to July 2023,” according to a news release from the USAO.

Officers also seized 15 firearms, about $126,000 in cash and drugs from homes in D.C. and Maryland on Thursday.

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