Philadelphia man sentenced for role in drug trafficking enterprise

MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Tyrone Kareem Thomas, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 57 months of incarceration for his role in a drug distribution enterprise, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.

Thomas, 41, pleaded guilty in May 2021 to one count of “Conspiracy to Participate in a Racketeering Enterprise (RICO Conspiracy).”  Thomas admitted to working with others in a drug distribution operation spanning Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia and other locations. The criminal enterprise consisted of racketeering to hide thousands of dollars in proceeds from drug sales, acts of violence, and the distribution of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine base, and cocaine hydrochloride. The crime occurred in Berkeley and Jefferson Counties and elsewhere from June 2019 to October 2020.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The FBI; the Department of Homeland Security Investigations; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Marshals Service; the West Virginia State Police; the Eastern Panhandle Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; and the West Virginia Air National Guard investigated. The Eastern District of Pennsylvania U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Kent County Sheriff’s Office assisted.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

Chief U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.

Find the related case here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndwv/pr/22-people-indicted-drug-trafficking-enterprise-spanned-several-states