ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Over 300 law enforcement agents and officers executed a coordinated takedown today, arresting 28 individuals for their respective roles in selling drugs while armed or other firearm related criminal acts.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) began Operation Tin Panda in the Spring of 2017. In collaboration with the DEA, U.S. Postal Inspector’s Service, U.S. Marshal's Service, the Prince William County Police Department, Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office, Fairfax County Police Department, Alexandria Police Department, Stafford County Sherriff’s Office, Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office, King George County Sheriff’s Office, Prince George’s County Police Department, Maryland, Metropolitan Police Department, and the District of Columbia, law enforcement investigators and prosecutors from this office began jointly investigating area Blood gangs involved in violent crime and other criminal activity in Northern Virginia. Multiple criminal acts were tied to gang and drug activity, including, but not limited to, homicide, malicious wounding, robbery, shootings, and drug and firearms distribution. During the course of this investigation, more than 30 individuals throughout Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, and California, who were illegally selling firearms and controlled substances or were involved in other criminal acts, have been arrested. 

Prior to search warrants executed today, Operation Tin Panda resulted in the recovery of over 71 firearms and approximately 1,292 grams of cocaine base, 4,408 grams of cocaine, 23,838 grams of marijuana, 2,152 grams of crystal methamphetamine, 815 grams of heroin, and 36,075 grams of THC. During search warrants executed today, law enforcement seized more firearms, heroin, and other controlled substances.

Twenty-two of the 28 were arrested on federal firearms and drug charges, while the remaining six were arrested on state charges. Please see the included table which lists the name, age, hometown, and respective charge(s) that each federal defendant faces.



Name, Age





Hometown





Charge(s)





Tarvell Vandiver, 29





Woodbridge





Conspiracy to Distribute 280 grams or more of cocaine base





Jerry McAllister, 42





Laurel, Maryland





Conspiracy to Distribute 100 grams or more of heroin





Rashourn Niles, 37





Woodbridge





Conspiracy to Distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine





Chennor Bah, 30





Woodbridge





Conspiracy to Distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine





Nasiru Carew, 35

 





Dale City





Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana





Nathaniel Bruce Cobbold, 27





Woodbridge





Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana





Jamar Cox, 30





Hyattsville, Maryland





Use and Carry of Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime





Robert Evans, 27





Woodbridge





Conspiracy to Distribute THC





Deion Wright, 25





Alexandria





Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime





Kelvin Bennett, 27





Washington, D.C.





Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime





Cydrick Delrosario, 58





Springfield





Conspiracy to Distribute 50 grams or more of Methamphetamine





Raheem Kelly, 39





Woodbridge





Conspiracy to Distribute 28 grams or more of Cocaine Base





Tayvon Patterson, 24





Elkridge, Maryland





Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime





Tavon Bailey, 27





District Heights, MD





Felon in Possession of a Firearm





Alpha Kamara, 20





Woodbridge





Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime





Tavon Ferguson, 24





Triangle





Felon in Possession of a Firearm





Samantha Winter, 22





Culpepper





False Statements During the Purchase of a Firearm





Kaitlin McCabe, 19





Woodbridge





Possession and Unlawful Transfer of a Firearm





Marcus Andrei Harris, 27





Washington, D.C.





Conspiracy to Distribute 50 grams or more of Methamphetamine, Use and Carry of a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime





Teodoro Gonzales, 37





Woodbridge





Conspiracy to Distribute 5 Grams or more of Methamphetamine, Felon in Possession of a Firearm.





Orean Anthony Hayden, 29





Alexandria





Use and Carry of a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime





Frederick Preston Gaarsoe Turner, 36





Woodbridge





Conspiracy to Distribute 50 grams or more of Methamphetamine, Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime, Possession of Methamphetamine with the Intent to Distribute





Bryan Matthews, 19





Alexandria





Use and Carry of a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime





Brandon Edler, 23





Fredericksburg





Conspiracy to Distribute 28 grams or more of Cocaine Base





Anthony Lozada, 18





Woodbridge





Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking





Ezana Demisse, 25





Alexandria





Use and Carry of a Firearm During and in Relation to Drug Trafficking





Michael Lederer, 31





Woodbridge





Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person





Cory Patterson, 34

 

 

 





Fredericksburg

 

                





Conspiracy to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin, Use and Carry of a Firearm During and in Relation to Drug Trafficking



 

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Thomas L. Chittum, III, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division, and Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after the federal arrests were made and criminal complaints were unsealed. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carina A. Cuellar and Colleen E. Garcia are prosecuting the case.

The case was investigated as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Operation Tin Panda. The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 1:17-mj-547 and 1:17-mj-554.