The final member of a regional drug trafficking gang has been sentenced to federal prison.
Rahim Amin, 36, of Philadelphia, was sentenced this week to 15 years in prison and five years of supervised release by U.S Judge Mark A. Kearney for his role in a large scale drug trafficking ring known as the “Skipworth” gang.
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“The defendant pleaded guilty in November 2019 to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon,” according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The “Skipwell” ring sold bulk quantities of crystal methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine worth millions of dollars in Philadelphia, Bucks, Berks, and Delaware counties, prosecutors said.
A lengthy investigation Drug Enforcement Administration, Bucks County Detectives, and Philadelphia Police Department was carried out. The gang was brought down after an indictment by a federal grand jury, and the case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Parisi and Andrea Foulkes.
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Amin’s fellow gang members, Damir Skipworth, the gang’s namesake; Jarrett Cobb; and Tyrone Smith previously pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges in this case and received significant prison sentences: Skipworth is serving more than eight years, Cobb more than five years, and Smith more than three years. A fourth co-defendant, Vontez Scales, was convicted at trial of possession with intent to distribute and conspiracy to distribute narcotics and was sentenced to over 26 years, according to prosecutors.
“By pumping millions of dollars worth of meth, heroin, cocaine and fentanyl into our region, the Skipworth drug trafficking organization was a menace to Philadelphia and its suburbs,” said U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania William McSwain. “With Amin’s sentence, all of the defendants in this case have now received substantial periods of incarceration. Nobody should have to endure living in a neighborhood where drug dealers and thugs act like they’re in charge. My Office, together with our law enforcement partners, must be relentless in attacking and destroying these drug gangs, along with the violence that often comes with them.”
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“The dismantling of the Skipworth DTO by federal law enforcement officers and the Bucks County Drug Strike Force is a great testament to the force multiplier effect that we achieve when we all work together to make our community safer. No egos; just a great collaborative effort by all involved for justice and public safety,” said Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub.
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