Police confiscate ghost guns, arrest members of 'Wick Squad' gang selling fentanyl in West Baltimore
BALTIMORE - Nine Baltimore men from the criminal organization known as "Wick Squad" have been indicted on charges of drug trafficking in West Baltimore, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown announced.
The charges stem from a long-term investigation in West Baltimore.
Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said the major drug trafficking organization had been terrorizing the 2500 block of Edmondson Avenue for months.
"We believe this investigation helped to prevent shootings in recent months, and we anticipate ballistics testing of other recovered firearms could potentially lead to other crimes committed by these individuals," Commissioner Harrison said.
Charges in the indictments include illegal possession of firearms, distribution of Fentanyl and distribution of cocaine.
In April 2022, the Maryland Office of the Attorney General and the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) began a joint investigation into the members and associates of the "Wick Squad," which operated in and around the 2500 block of Edmondson Avenue in West Baltimore.
According to the Maryland Attorney General, the investigation utilized a variety of investigative methods, including the use of undercover Baltimore Police detectives to make controlled purchases of narcotics, including Fentanyl.
The investigation culminated in search warrants and arrests in October 2022. The most recent arrest took place in January 2023.
In total, the investigation led to the seizure of 11 firearms (ghost guns) and large amounts of controlled dangerous substances (CDS), ammunition, and packaging material.
The recent indictments include:
- Jermaud Harris, 34, of Baltimore, is charged in a 40-count indictment, including charges of illegal possession of a regulated firearm with a disqualifying conviction, distribution of Fentanyl, and possession of a firearm with a nexus to a drug trafficking crime. Harris is being held without bail and has a trial date in May 2023.
- Dernell Faulkner, 33, of Baltimore, is charged in a 34-count indictment, including charges of distribution of Fentanyl and illegal possession of ammunition. Faulkner has a trial date in May 2023.
- Jermal Thompson, 32, of Baltimore, is charged in an 8-count indictment, including charges of possession of a firearm with a nexus to a drug trafficking crime and possession with intent to distribute Cocaine. Thompson has a trial date in May 2023.
- Tevin Holmes, 31, of Baltimore, is charged in a 7-count indictment, including charges of illegal possession of a regulated firearm and distribution of Cocaine. Holmes is being held without bail and has an arraignment date in February 2023.
- Justin Gregory, 30, of Baltimore, is charged in an 8-count indictment, including charges of conspiracy to distribute controlled dangerous substances, possession with intent to distribute CDS, illegal possession of ammunition, and possession of CDS production equipment. Gregory has a trial date in May 2023.
- Devon McKoy, 31, of Lynchburg, Virginia, is charged in a 2-count indictment, including a charge of possession with intent to distribute Cocaine. McKoy is being held without bail and has a trial date in May 2023.
In addition to the above-listed indictments, three cases were charged earlier in 2022 while the broader investigation was still ongoing.
All three of those cases have already resulted in convictions:
- On December 6, 2022, Jerome Lewis, 35, of Baltimore, pled guilty before the Honorable Melissa Phinn of the Circuit Court for Baltimore City to illegal possession of a regulated firearm with a disqualifying conviction and possession with intent to distribute Fentanyl. Lewis was sentenced to 12 years of incarceration, suspending all but five years to be served without parole. Upon his release from incarceration, he will be on three years of supervised probation.
- On December 6, 2022, Arthur Beard, 29, of Baltimore, pled guilty before the Honorable Kendra Y. Ausby of the Circuit Court for Baltimore City to loaded handgun on person and possession of CDS. Beard was sentenced to four years of incarceration, suspending all but three years. Upon his release from incarceration, he will be on two years of supervised probation.
- On December 8, 2022, James Jones, 29, of Baltimore, pled guilty before the Honorable Melissa Phinn of the Circuit Court for Baltimore City to loaded handgun on person and possession with intent to distribute Fentanyl. Jones was sentenced to 20 years of incarceration, suspending all but three years. Upon his release from incarceration, he will be on three years of supervised probation.
"With these indictments, nine violent criminals can no longer pose a threat to public safety and disrupt the communities in which they operated," said Attorney General Brown. "This case represents just the beginning of our plan to strategically target organized crime and reduce drug trafficking and gun violence. With an expanded Organized Crime Unit, our office will take more criminals off the streets and make Maryland safer for all."
WJZ was on the scene in July of last year shortly after a gun battle broke out in the middle of the day. More than 30 shots were fired along Edmondson Avenue.
One of the two men struck by bullets had a young child with him at the time.
Neighbors told us then, they were frightened and fed up.
The commissioner now reveals the Wick investigation had already been underway since February. It involved the Maryland Attorney General's Organized Crime Unit and the FBI.
Police confiscated 11 weapons and said some were ghost guns—untraceable firearms that can be bought online and assembled at home.
Investigators also found large quantities of drugs, including deadly fentanyl.
Harrison said more arrests could be coming.
"Our department is singularly focused on reducing homicides and non-fatal shootings in our city," Harrison said.
Baltimore leaders also said the operation is part of their Group Violence Reduction strategy, which reduced shootings and homicides in the Western District by 34 percent last year.
More than 70 people have accepted the intensive support the program offers, said MONSE Executive Director Shantay Jackson.
"The Western District has gone from being the most violent district in Baltimore City as it relates to gun violence, to being the least violent among our other chronically violent districts," Jackson said.
The Baltimore police union has called the strategy 'woke policing' and said the department does not have enough staff to sustain the intensive effort.
Last week, the union tweeted that more officers are resigning, and there are currently not enough to keep citizens safe.
Attorney General Anthony Brown said he plans to ask the governor for an increase in funding for the Organized Crime Unit that assisted in the Wick Squad case.
"This case is just the latest in a series of operations that illustrates our progress with and commitment to the Group Violence Reduction Strategy. We are singularly focused on reducing the number of homicides and non-fatal shootings in our city," added Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison. "This success of this strategy hinges on multiple partnerships, the use of all the tools available in both our short- and long-term crime strategies and a holistic approach to steer violent offenders away from the culture of violence."
"This is an example of our Group Violence Reduction Strategy in action," said Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott. "Imprisonment should not be a first resort, but if people decide that they are going to deny the opportunities on the table and continue down the path of crime and violence, we are going to hold them accountable with swift, certain, and legitimate consequences. I want to thank Attorney General Brown and our law enforcement personnel for helping make Baltimore a safer city."
