Court Papers: Authorities Dismantle Levittown Drug Trafficking Ring

UPDATE: Investigation Ongoing After Multi-Million Dollar Drug Trafficking Ring Busted

For months, Bucks County, state, and federal law enforcement have been working a sophisticated drug trafficking investigation that ended with several arrests on Monday, according to court papers.

The court records reviewed by LevittownNow.com showed authorities dismantled what they have been calling the “Byrne Drug Trafficking Organization,” a group they alleged has been involved in the distribution of cocaine and methamphetamine from California to the East Coast.

The operation involved the trafficking of large quantities of drugs, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

The investigation was led by the Bucks County Detectives, Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. Assistance with package searches was carried out by the Louisville Metro Police Department.

Investigators called the operation a drug trafficking “empire” and estimated the street value of the operation at the time they were investigating was nearly $1.2 million, court papers stated.

The investigation found that the drug trafficking organization sourced drugs primarily from California, taking advantage of the state’s proximity to Mexico, to procure cocaine and methamphetamine at lower costs. The drugs were then transported to Bucks and Montgomery counties where they were sold for profits, authorities said.

Investigators detailed in a 49-page filing how members of the drug trafficking organization, including Matthew Byrne, 43, of Broomall, Montgomery County; Joseph Byrne, 47, of Bristol Township’s Levittown section; Khalik Kemp, 34, of Philadelphia; Chaz Brandon Russel Harness-Walker, 40, of Inglewood, California; Ralph Brooks, 42, of Los Angeles; and Christian Garwood, 55, of Flourtown, Montgomery County, allegedly worked together.

The organization involved various roles, including distributors, transporters, storage coordinators, street-level traffickers, and narcotics brokers, to maintain their operations, authorities said.

Intercepted communications and travel records showed Matthew Byrne’s frequent trips to Los Angeles to secure drugs earlier this year, authorities said.

The drug trafficking organization was involved in several trips to and from California earlier this year, and many of the trips, according to law enforcement, were watched by investigators.

Following the trips, drug-laden parcels, often disguised in Bluetooth speakers and homemade wooden boxes, were shipped to the area using expedited delivery services to evade detection, authorities said.

Investigators outlined how the drug trafficking organization used fictitious names and addresses to ship parcels, employing next-day delivery options to minimize the risk of interception by law enforcement.

Despite the precautions, authorities successfully intercepted several packages and found quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine concealed within, according to court papers.

Law enforcement intercepted and tracked a number of packages of drugs that were shipped from Los Angeles and the surrounding area to homes on Gable Hill Road and Indian Creek Drive, both in Bristol Township’s Levittown section, authorities said, adding another package was mailed to Flourtown, Montgomery County.

Matthew Byrne and others broke down and packaged for distribution the drugs at his business on Bethlehem Pike in Flourtown, authorities said.

Informants, covert surveillance, wiretaps, and package searches played key roles in gathering evidence against the organization, according to court papers.

On July 18, search warrants were executed in Philadelphia, Delaware, and Montgomery counties as part of the probe.

The search warrants led to the seizure of drug paraphernalia, drugs, guns, and cash, authorities said.

Interviews with arrested members of the group provided further insights into the operations and talk of profits, authorities said.

One of the defendants said Matthew Byrne was selling drugs to pay for his kids’ tuition and make sure they were “set up,” court papers stated.

One of the defendants’ wives is a teacher, but authorities said she did not have knowledge of the drug trafficking organization.

All the defendants were charged Monday afternoon with corrupt organization and drug-related offenses.

According to court papers, District Judge Terry Hughes preliminarily arraigned four of the defendants: Garwood was held on 10 percent of $1 million bail, Matthew Byrne was held on 10 percent of $5 million bail; Joseph Byrne was held on 10 percent of $3 million bail; and Kemp was held on 10 percent of $3 million bail. Harness-Walker and Brooks were not yet preliminarily arraigned in Bucks County.

Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.

Report a correction via email | Editorial standards and policies

---

---