BUCKS COUNTY, Pa. (CBS) — Four Pennsylvania men have been charged with allegedly smuggling millions of dollars worth of methamphetamine and cocaine from California to Bucks County by hiding the drugs in Bluetooth karaoke speakers, the district attorney’s office said.
According to the Bucks County Prosecutor’s Office, detectives broke up the drug ring after investigators tracked a dozen shipments to locations in Bristol Township and Montgomery County, each containing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of illegal drugs.
Three shipments were also intercepted by postal workers in Kentucky, who found nearly $1.2 million worth of cocaine and methamphetamine in three Bluetooth speakers, the district attorney’s office said.
Bucks County Prosecutor’s Office
Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn said about $5 million worth of drugs were smuggled from California to Pennsylvania in the past six months as part of the smuggling operation.
Matthew Byrne, of Broomall, Delaware County, is accused of directing the drug trafficking operation and making monthly trips to California to purchase drugs and arrange for shipments.
Byrne, his brother Joseph Byrne, Khalik Kemp of Philadelphia and Christian Garwood of Flourtown, Montgomery County, were all arraigned on Monday, Aug. 5, and booked into the Bucks County Correctional Facility, the district attorney’s office said.
The four Pennsylvania men, and two California men who have not yet been arrested, face a host of charges, including possession with intent to deliver a narcotic drug, conspiracy to possess with intent to deliver a narcotic drug and criminal use of a communications facility.
“This case shows that there is no limit to the extent to which drug traffickers profit by trafficking poisons that devastate families and communities,” said Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry. “This multimillion-dollar network involved monthly cross-country trips to California, where purchases were made and shipments were arranged back to the Commonwealth. Tremendous cooperation by law enforcement partners disrupted this sophisticated organization and shut down a cocaine and methamphetamine pipeline.”
According to Schorn’s office, the investigation, which involves several federal and local law enforcement agencies and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, is ongoing.
