Four Pennsylvania men have been charged for allegedly trafficking millions of dollars in methamphetamine and cocaine from California to Bucks County by disguising the contraband in Bluetooth karaoke speakers, according to the district attorney’s office.
According to the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office, investigators uncovered the cross-country drug ring after tracking down a dozen shipments to Bristol Township and Montgomery County, each containing hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal drugs.
Postal officers in Kentucky intercepted three shipments and discovered over $1.2 million in cocaine and meth inside three Bluetooth speakers, according to the district attorney’s office. According to District Attorney Jennifer Schorn, approximately $5 million in drugs have been trafficked from California to Pennsylvania as part of the trafficking conspiracy during the last six months.
Matthew Byrne, of Broomall in Delaware County, is accused of heading the trafficking network and making monthly trips to California to buy drugs and arrange shipments.
On Monday, August 5, Byrne, his brother Joseph Byrne, Khalik Kemp of Philadelphia, and Christian Garwood of Flourtown, Montgomery County, were all charged and sent to the Bucks County Correctional Facility, according to the DA’s Office.
The four Pennsylvania men, as well as two California men who are not yet in custody, are charged with a variety of offenses, including possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, conspiracy to commit possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, and criminal use of a communication facility.
“This case demonstrates that there are no limits to how far traffickers will go to make a profit by dealing poisons that destroy families and communities,” Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry said. “This multimillion-dollar network required monthly cross-country excursions to California, where purchases and shipping were organized back to the Commonwealth. Great teamwork among law enforcement partners disrupted this sophisticated organization and shut down a cocaine and methamphetamine pipeline.”
The investigation, which included multiple federal and local law enforcement organizations and the United States Postal Inspection Service, is still active and ongoing, according to Schorn’s office.