It took years of stake-outs, stings and authorized phone-tapping to discover just who was behind distributing heroin and the prescription pain drug Roxicodone, serious drug trafficking offenses in Baton Rouge.
Undercover cops in unmarked cars watched as members of the gang sold the illegal merchandise from certain storefronts where the customers were always thick and hungry for a fix. On occasion one or two of the undercover officers would make and record their own purchases. Ironically, the bold group was aware the cops were keeping a sharp eye on their movements and transactions. In one wiretap, the key suspect was overheard chatting with his mother about police surveillance at her own house.
In other key recorded wiretaps, two of the suspects talked about a discrepancy between the amount of drugs sold and the money turned in. In another dialogue one bad guy complained about his associate being late and threatened to cut him out of the drug operation.
All the while, the investigation was spurred forward by the findings of the East Baton Rouge coroner that four people died of heroin overdoses in 2010 alone. It was discovered that the type of heroin that did the killing was the same as that being peddled on the street by certain suspects. The wiretaps confirmed the conclusion and the information from the taps became the heart of the affidavit in support of a bevy of very productive search warrants.
The search warrants eventually netted some $9,779 worth of roxicodone, $1,025 worth of heroin, four guns and $1,000 in cash. Even now, with the six suspects already charged and in jail, there are yet more safety deposit boxes that one of the suspects admitted have between $15,000 and $17,000 hidden away in them.
The modus operandi of the operation was a classic one, with the key suspect procuring the drugs and others actively selling the drugs on the street. If you have been in trouble with the law on drug trafficking charges, drug crime attorneys can provide confidential and sound counsel to defend you in court.
Source:
The Times Picayune, “6 people arrested in Baton Rouge heroin, prescription drug sting” Diana Samuels, Jun. 25, 2013
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