FBI indicts dozens in Philadelphia on drug charges

PHILADELPHIA — More than two dozen people have been indicted on drug-related charges as part of a yearlong gang investigation in Philadelphia, the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced Friday.

Cocaine, fentanyl and heroin were sold in the Kensington neighborhood in “one of the city’s most prolific drug districts” from January 2016 to October 2025, according to the indictment. The charges come as President Donald Trump ramps up federal law enforcement operations in the United States to combat crime, even as rates have increased in recent years in cities like Philadelphia.

“We have permanently removed a drug trafficking organization from the streets of Philadelphia, and they are going to stop dumping weapons, chemicals and drugs into our communities,” FBI Director Kash Patel said at a news conference Friday, touting collaboration between federal and local law enforcement.

The group of 33 people was charged with 41 counts related to drug distribution, and the indictment says they maintained control of the area through violence and threats against their rivals.

“This takedown is how you protect America from coast to coast,” he added.

Part of Trump’s efforts to mobilize federal law enforcement drew backlash when National Guard troops and armed federal agents patrolled city streets, conducted large-scale immigration enforcement operations and sometimes used violent tactics against protesters.

The main area where the gang operated was primarily owned by José Antonio Morales Nieves, 45, known as “Flaco,” the indictment says. Other members paid him “rent” to sell drugs there. More than 20 people were arrested on Friday.

The members assigned themselves “well-defined” shifts and roles such as setting an all-hours schedule for the block, managing money, monitoring police, resupplying drugs and engaging in violence against rival gangs, the indictment says.

“For too long, the Weymouth Street drug trafficking organization has flooded the streets of Kensington with drugs and terrorized residents with horrific acts of violence and intimidation,” Philadelphia FBI Special Agent in Charge Wayne Jacobs said Friday. “It ended today.”