WATCH: Blue City Police Chief Praises Kash Patel After Massive Drug Bust

[Da Lat]

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WATCH: Blue City Police Chief Praises Kash Patel After Massive Drug Bust



October 25, 2025
By Cullen McCue

On October 24, 2025, federal authorities in Philadelphia announced a significant operation targeting the open-air drug market in the notorious Kensington neighborhood. The raid drew praise from city officials, many of whom praised FBI Director Kash Patel for a surge in support.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania unsealed an indictment charging 33 individuals with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, heroin, crack cocaine, and cocaine. The case focused on the Weymouth Street Drug Trafficking Organization, which allegedly controlled the 3100 block of Weymouth Street — described as the heart of Kensington’s drug trade — from January 2016 to October 2025.

The operation involved coordinated raids by the FBI, Philadelphia Police Department, Drug Enforcement Administration, and other agencies under the Project Safe Neighborhoods Recon initiative. Authorities executed 11 search warrants, deploying nine tactical teams and hundreds of officers across Philadelphia, Puerto Rico, Delaware, and New Jersey.

Search warrants yielded numerous firearms and significant quantities of narcotics. Of the defendants, 24 were arrested that day, eight were already in custody and set for federal transfer, and one remains at large.

Key figures included Jose Antonio Morales Nieves, 45, from Luquillo, Puerto Rico, who has been accused of overseeing the block and charging “rent” to dealers; Ramon Roman-Montanez, 40, from Philadelphia, who managed daily operations; and Nancy Rios-Valentin, 33, from Philadelphia, who handled finances.

While the initial indictment did not include murder or shooting charges, the group allegedly used violence, including assaults and intimidation, to maintain control and silence witnesses. U.S. Attorney David Metcalf described the case as the largest federal indictment in the district this century, signaling a shift toward treating open-air markets as organized criminal enterprises.

FBI Director Kash Patel called the operation a model for urban safety, stating, “This takedown is how you safeguard American cities from coast to coast. We have permanently removed a drug trafficking organization off the streets of Philadelphia.”

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel praised Patel and emphasized ongoing commitment, saying, “We’re not going to apologize for removing people who terrorize our community. This is the model we can keep running.”

“Director Patel, I appreciate the support,” Bethel added. “This is the work I constantly tell people. We are having SIGNIFICANT success across the city this year…it’s those relationships…it’s the FBI I would turn to to help us,” he added.





Authorities plan follow-up efforts, including public-safety campaigns and community support.

From 2015 to 2019, the neighborhood’s 1.4 square miles saw over 630 fatal overdoses. The early 2000s opioid crisis, driven by prescription painkillers, gave way to fentanyl and xylazine (“tranq”), which caused severe health issues. Gun violence surged, with over 1,400 shootings near Kensington and Allegheny Avenues from 2015 to 2022. The COVID-19 pandemic intensified overdoses, with a 27% national increase in 2020. Recent efforts, like the 2024 Kensington Initiative, reduced overdose deaths by 20% through targeted arrests and harm-reduction programs.

Philadelphia’s Kensington section has long garnered a reputation as one of the most notorious open air drug markets in the country. It is also the site of widespread gang warfare over control of territory, and cartel-linked warfare over the sale of fentanyl alternatives like powdered xylazine (Tranq).


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