Project Huntington: Operation Saigon Sunset Takes At Least
450 Grams of Fentanyl – Enough to Kill More than 250,000 People -- Off Streets
United States Attorney Mike Stuart announced today a major
takedown of drug traffickers and related drug networks recently indicted by a
federal grand jury in Huntington, as well as other narcotics, violent crime and
firearm related targets. Joining United
States Attorney Stuart in the announcement were Drug Enforcement Administration
Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Chris Evans, Federal Bureau of Investigation
Assistant Special Agent in Charge (ASAC) Nick Boshears, Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Special
Agent in Charge (SAC) Stuart Lowrey, Homeland Security Investigations
Assistant Special Agent in Charge (ASAC) Dave Abbate, Huntington Mayor Steve
Williams, Huntington Interim Police Chief Hank Dial, West Virginia State Police
Captain Mike LaFauci, West Virginia National Guard Adjutant General James
Hoyer, Cabell County Prosecuting Attorney Sean “Corky” Hammers, U.S. Marshal
Michael Baylous, Cabell County Sheriff Chuck Zerkle, Wayne County Sheriff Rick
Thompson, Marshall University Police Chief Jim Terry and AHIDTA State Director
Kenny Burner.
In response to a growing opiate epidemic and violent crime
in southern West Virginia, United States Attorney Stuart announced the
formation of Project Huntington on March 15th alongside federal, state and
local law enforcement partners. Today,
in a takedown of federal and state targets, nearly 100 defendants have been
targeted for arrest including the execution of Operation Saigon Sunset and
related search warrants in Huntington, WV.
It is believed that today’s actions will result in the dismantling of
the Peterson Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO), a major multi-state heroin
and fentanyl distribution network. In
addition to the dismantling of the Peterson DTO, federal, state and local law
enforcement are executing arrests for related violent elements including
narcotics and firearms targets.
Today’s actions break down as follows:
At least 15
individuals involved in the Peterson DTO have been charged in a federal
indictment in the Southern District of West Virginia with conspiracy to
distribute heroin and fentanyl;
15 individuals
involved in the Peterson DTO were indicted yesterday in Cabell County Circuit
Court on state charges;
Additional members
of the Peterson DTO will be arrested and charged in Detroit;
13 individuals
involved in narcotics and/or firearms that have been charged in federal
indictments in the Southern District of West Virginia; and
At least 48
individuals are targeted for arrest on various narcotics, violent crime, and
firearms related charges at the federal or state level as determined by the
circumstances of each matter.
As an indication of the scale of the operation, over 200
federal, state and local law enforcement officers took part in today’s take-down
effort. The West Virginia National Guard
also provided a number of personnel in a support function to the operation.
Today’s actions would not have been possible without the
seamless collaboration of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. The investigation was led by the Drug
Enforcement Administration and the Violent Crime and Drug Task Force West, with
assistance from the Michigan State Police and the Ohio Highway Patrol. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern
District of West Virginia and the Eastern District of Michigan, as well as the
Cabell County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, worked together hand-in-hand to
remove these dangerous drug traffickers from the streets of Huntington and
Detroit.
In conjunction with the arrest and search warrants executed
in Huntington today, it is anticipated federal authorities in Detroit will soon
be executing additional arrest warrants and search warrants. Additional charges will be brought against individuals
in the Eastern District of Michigan.
“Our great country has never seen drug deaths like we’re
seeing today,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said. “Under President Trump’s
strong leadership, the Department of Justice has taken historic new actions to
put drug traffickers in jail and keep dangerous drugs out of the wrong
hands. I want to thank all of our
partners at DEA, FBI, ATF, the Marshals Service, Homeland Security
Investigations, as well as our fabulous partners at the state and local levels
for their hard work. Today’s charges
against at least 90 defendants will help make the people of West Virginia and
Michigan safer from the threat of dangerous drugs—and they bring us one step
closer to ending the opioid epidemic.”
“Today’s actions have removed from our streets enough fentanyl
to kill more than 250,000 people and massive amounts of other drugs that would
have wreaked havoc and misery on our good citizens. Today is a turning point for the City of
Huntington and in the war against the opiate nightmare,” said US Attorney Stuart.
“Best yet, today’s actions have resulted in the destruction of a supply
network, the supplier of suppliers of illicit drugs. The peddlers of poisons like heroin and
fentanyl are in the crosshairs of this Administration and law enforcement. We still have work to do but the days of
havoc, chaos and misery caused by the peddlers of illicit poisons are soon to
be over.”
“Today, on tax day, the citizens of Huntington and the
surrounding area got their money’s worth, said Huntington Mayor Steve Williams.
“Thanks to the coordination of our
federal, state and local law enforcement agencies our city is safer. I thank United States Attorney Mike Stuart
and Major General Jim Hoyer of the West Virginia National Guard for their
steadfast support. The men and women of
every law enforcement agency are owed a monumental debt of gratitude for
placing their lives in harm’s way to make our families safe.”
The investigation revealed that the Peterson DTO had been
operating in Huntington for nearly 15 years, trafficking large amounts of
heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine from Detroit to be sold in Huntington in
street-level gram quantities. In August
2017, investigators with the Violent Crime and Drug Task Force West (“VCDTFW”)
executed a search warrant at Manget Peterson’s residence and an associated
hotel room, where Manget Peterson’s workers were distributing heroin. These searches resulted in the seizure of two
handguns, over seventy half gram baggies of heroin ready for distribution, and
other evidence of drug trafficking.
Manget Peterson’s brother, Willie Peterson, was identified as the leader
and drug supplier of the organization.
Multiple sources advised that the Peterson DTO distributed kilogram
quantities of heroin in Huntington, West Virginia, on nearly a weekly basis,
using a network of re-distributors.
Law enforcement learned that the DEA in Detroit had opened
an investigation into Willie Peterson, after a search of his residence in July
2017 resulted in the seizure of over 360 grams of fentanyl. The DEA’s investigations in West Virginia and
in Detroit have resulted in investigators seizing additional drug loads and to
the identification of two of Willie Peterson’s drug suppliers in Detroit,
Michigan. As of April 3, 2018, law
enforcement has seized approximately 760 grams of suspected heroin, 450 grams
of suspected fentanyl, and 167 grams of suspected cocaine. The fentanyl seized prior to today’s actions
could have resulted in the death of more than 250,000 people.
This morning, Manget Peterson was apprehended in Huntington
and his brother, Willie Peterson, was apprehended in Detroit. Malcolm Simmons was also arrested in Detroit
this morning.
According to Chris Evans, Special Agent in Charge of DEA’s
Louisville Division Office, “Today’s round-up sends a clear message to the
people of Huntington and all of West Virginia:
drug traffickers who come here to destroy our communities will be
aggressively pursued by DEA, in conjunction with West Virginia’s federal, state
and local law enforcement components.”
“ATF is committed to working with our federal, state and
local law enforcement partners and the United States Attorney’s Office to
reduce violent crime in Huntington,” said Stuart Lowrey, Special Agent in
Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in West
Virginia and Kentucky. “Together we will
identify and investigate armed violent offenders and their illicit sources of
guns. Traffickers and triggerpullers –
beware.”
“We are building a collaborative approach here in
Huntington,” said Interim Huntington Police Chief Hank Dial. “Day in and day out we go after criminals who
are bringing these drugs into our community and work to get people into much
needed treatment. We greatly appreciate
our state and federal partnering agencies bringing their powerful resources to
our community. There is one thing the
good people of Huntington and the bad people in Huntington have in common, they
both deserve today.”
In the Southern District of West Virginia, 15 individuals
have been charged in a federal indictment with conspiracy to distribute heroin
and fentanyl. The investigation is
ongoing and could result in additional federal and state charges in the future.
Please Note: An
indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent
unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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