Long-Term Drug Trafficking Investigation Secures Fifteenth Guilty Plea

            WASHINGTON – A 15th defendant has entered a guilty plea in United States District Court in connection with a wide-ranging investigation centered on the area of 7^th and O Streets, in Northwest, Washington, D.C. These guilty pleas stem from a series of arrests and indictments filed in May and June of 2022, following a long-term investigation led by the FBI and MPD.

            Elliot Johnson, 43, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty May 5, 2023 to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. U.S. District Court Judge Reggie B. Walton scheduled sentencing for August 3, 2023.

            According to court documents, in or around late 2021, members of the Metropolitan Police Department (“MPD”), in conjunction with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), began investigating violent crime and drug trafficking activities occurring in or around the corner of 7th Street and O Street in Northwest, Washington, D.C. Investigation revealed that the individuals charged gathered in this area on a regular basis to sell controlled substances.

            Law enforcement identified several residences that the group used for storing drugs and for processing and packaging drugs for resale. Further investigation revealed the defendants were engaged in hand-to-hand drug sales on the sidewalk. Undercover officers began purchasing crack cocaine and fentanyl from members of the drug trafficking group. The quantities of crack cocaine purchased by law enforcement ranged from one gram to over 28 grams at a time. The charged members of this group, in total, sold law enforcement approximately 158 grams of cocaine base. The quantities of fentanyl purchased by law enforcement from members of this drug trafficking group ranged from less than one gram up to 65 grams at a time. The charged members of this group, in total, sold law enforcement approximately 470 grams of fentanyl. Through the executed searches, four firearms were also seized. 

            The following defendants have entered guilty pleas in connection with this series of indictments:

            This investigation additionally led to an indictment being filed against Jonathan Brown in Case Number 23-CR-79, related to the July 31, 2021 homicide of Kervin Sanchez at the corner of 7^th and O street, NW.

            The prosecutions followed a joint investigation by the Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) of MPD’s Violent Crime Suppression Division, the FBI Washington Field Office’s Cross Border Safe Streets Task Force, and the Washington Division of the DEA. The Cross Border Safe Streets Task Force targets the most egregious and violent street crews operating in the District of Columbia. 

            This investigation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (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 www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

            The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin Rosenberg and Solomon Eppel of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, with valuable assistance provided by Assistant United States Attorney Steven Wasserman and former Special Assistant United States Attorney Shaunik Panse.