Delco Man Led $5Million Meth, Cocaine Ring: Authorities

BROOMALL, PA —Over six months, a Broomall man led a drug trafficking group that shipped $5 million in methamphetamine and cocaine from California to Bucks County, often using Bluetooth Karaoke speakers to conceal the drugs, authorities said

New details have emerged about the coast-to-coast drug ring that authorities announced Wednesday had been dismantled, leading to the arrest of six men, including two brothers.

Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn said the ring was led by Matthew James Byrne, 43, of Broomall. Byre used his brother's Levittown home as the address for most shipments,

Details of the ring were shared during a press conference Wednesday afternoon.

The investigation found that Matthew Byrne made several trips to Los Angeles, either once or twice a month this year, solely to purchase cocaine and methamphetamine to fuel the drug empire.

Investigators say he purchased drugs in California because of its proximity to Mexico and the lower cost of illegal drugs.

Byrne’s cross-country trips to Los Angeles lasted only two to three days. In that time, Byrne met with narcotics brokers to purchase drugs, smuggled them inside Bluetooth speakers or homemade wooden boxes, and then shipped them to Pennsylvania providing fake names as the recipients of the packages.

Narcotics detectives tracked 12 shipments to locations in Bristol Township and Montgomery County, each parcel containing hundreds of thousands of dollars in drugs.

Most of the packages were delivered to his brother’s home on Gable Hill Road in Bristol Township.

During the investigation, three of the shipments were intercepted by authorities at the U.S. Parcel Service’s Worldport facility in Louisville, Kentucky. Nearly $1.2 million in cocaine and methamphetamine was found stashed inside the three intercepted Bluetooth speakers.

On Monday, Matthew Byrne and his brother Joseph Byrne, 47,of Levittown, along with Khalik Kemp, 34, of Philadelphia, and Christian Garwood, 55 of Flourtown, Montgomery County, were arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Terrence Hughes.

They were all committed to Bucks County Correctional Facility with Matthew Byrne on $5 million bail, Joseph Byrne and Kemp on $3 million bail, and Garwood on $1 million bail.

Two other men in California —Ralph Brooks, 42 of Los Angeles, and Chaz Harness-Walker, 40 of Inglewood – are also charged. They are not yet in custody, authorities said.

The members of the drug trafficking organization face charges of corrupt organizations, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, conspiracy to commit possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities, conspiracy to deal in proceeds of unlawful activities, and criminal use of a communication facility.

During the investigation, detectives used a variety of methods to gather evidence against the organization, including tracking travel records, intercepting communications, and conducting surveillance in both California and Pennsylvania.

In one of the intercepted communications, one member of the drug organization described the quality of the cocaine they were getting from California as “slamming” and “powerful.”

Through the investigation, detectives were able to identify members of the drug organization and their roles, which included distributors, transporters, storage coordinators, street-level traffickers, and narcotics brokers.

Also, during the investigation, detectives recovered two Bluetooth speakers used in the operation. The speakers had been emptied, but tests confirmed a positive result for cocaine residue inside.

On July 18, detectives executed search warrants at several residences connected with the investigation in Philadelphia, Delaware, and Montgomery counties, seizing cocaine and other drugs, drug paraphernalia, four guns, and more than $20,000 in cash.

The investigation remains active and ongoing.