Last Updated 06/09/2022
Attorney General Josh Shapiro, The Philadelphia Police Department, The Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office & Federal Law Enforcement Partners Announce Arrests, Weapon Seizures and Takedown of Massive Drug Operation in Kensington
PHILADELPHIA, PA – The operation led by PA Attorney General Josh Shapiro and the Office of the Attorney General, was proud to announce the arrests of Curtis Coates, Sr., Curtis Coates, Jr., and 23 individuals, the alleged leaders and members of a major drug dealing organization in conjunction with the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office and its law enforcement partners in the PA Office of the Attorney General ‘Kensington Initiative’. More than 40 search warrants were executed yesterday by our office along with our partners which resulted in the seizure of 29 firearms (including 3 assault rifles), 82,966 doses of heroin/fentanyl, 47 grams of meth, and $179,000 in cash.
This is the most recent mass warrant sweep by the Office of the Sheriff – Warrant Unit since our last one in 2021 and we will continue to do our part to remove illegal weapons, drugs, and proceeds from criminal activity.
Sheriff Rochelle Bilal said in a statement, “Our city is safer today with the arrest of the leaders of this drug-dealing organization. The Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office and its law enforcement partners will continue to work diligently to arrest individuals who violate the law. We will also work together to seize weapons, drugs, and criminal proceeds to improve the safety of our community”.
“Coates and his son stole public city block corners and rented them for profit to drug dealers,” said Attorney General Shapiro. “These are corners children wait for buses on, corners you cross to get to work. And they stole them and rented them for top dollar to bring poison and violence into these neighborhoods. Through this operation, we’ve taken back these corners stolen from this community.”
Launched in 2018, the Kensington Initiative is a unique partnership between local, state, and federal law enforcement to target major criminal drug organizations in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia.
These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant Chief Deputy Attorney General Melissa Francis. All charges are accusations. The defendants are innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The full press conference can be watched here: https://youtu.be/wdWEaUY_qqc
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