Heroin Ring In DMV Broken Up; 11 Dealers Arrested: Police

ALEXANDRIA, VA — A joint narcotics investigation by local and state agencies in Virginia and Maryland has broken up a heroin trafficking ring that operated throughout the Washington, D.C., region, the Alexandria Police Department announced Monday.

Eleven people from Northern Virginia and Maryland were arrested March 11 on multiple counts related to illegal drug possession, distribution and racketeering. "Additional arrests and charges are pending," the Alexandria police said.

“With the ruthless impact heroin has had on our communities across the commonwealth, investigations like this are vital for residents to be empowered [to] take back their neighborhoods from drug trafficking organizations,” Lt. Col. Gary Settle, with the Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation, said in a statement. “And we ... will continue our efforts to aggressively pursue and dismantle these types of illegal drug networks.”

Authorities said the drug bust operation was called "Purple Rain," and estimated that the ring had sold heroin with a street value of as much as $1 million, radio station WTOP reported.

On the morning of March 11, the police executed eight search warrants at residences in the city of Alexandria, Prince William County, Fairfax County and Prince George's County, Maryland, according to the Alexandria police.

"The operation resulted in the arrest of 11 suspects and the seizures of 10 firearms, several vehicles, more than 400 grams of heroin, 330 grams of cocaine, 19 grams of PCP, 7 pounds of marijuana and $18,000 in U.S. currency," the police said.

The following 11 individuals were arrested on the following charges:

• Anthony D. Terry, 57, of Dumfries - PWID heroin, conspiracy to distribute more than 100 grams of heroin
• Robert E. Hunt, 54, of Alexandria - Three counts of distribution of heroin
• Gregory Taylor, 43, of Fort Washington, Maryland - Racketeering (RICO) and conspiracy to distribute more than 1 kilogram of heroin
• Tyrone Washington, 37, of Fort Washington, Maryland - Racketeering (RICO) and conspiracy to distribute more than 1 kilogram of heroin
• Tony S. Mann, 55, of Alexandria - Racketeering (RICO) and conspiracy to distribute more than 1 kilogram of heroin
• Albert B. Taylor, 60, of Alexandria - Racketeering (RICO) and conspiracy to distribute more than 1 kilogram of heroin
• Tony D. Smith, 31, of Woodbridge - Racketeering (RICO) and conspiracy to distribute more than 1 kilogram of heroin
• Jaqueline D. McBride, 61, of Fairfax County - Racketeering (RICO) and conspiracy to distribute more than 1 kilogram of heroin
• Richard C. Williams Jr., 63, of Alexandria - Racketeering (RICO) and conspiracy to distribute more than 1 kilogram of heroin
• Dwayne Mann, 56, of Alexandria - Racketeering (RICO) and conspiracy to distribute more than 1 kilogram of heroin
• Ronald Morton 39, of Clinton, Maryland - Racketeering (RICO) and conspiracy to distribute more than 1 kilogram of heroin

The Alexandria Police Department's Vice Narcotics Unit and Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s Fairfax Field Office began the narcotics investigation in March 2016 after investigating several heroin overdoses in Alexandria, the police said.

The Maryland State Police, Prince George's County Police Department and the Prince Georges County State’s Attorney’s Office assisted with the search warrants and arrests in Maryland. Agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration assisted in the investigation.

The cases will be prosecuted jointly by the City of Alexandria Commonwealth’s Attorney and the Office of the Virginia Attorney General.

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