WICOMICO COUNTY, Md. - It's one of the largest covert drug trafficking operations in Wicomico County history. Investigators say three years and countless hours went into dismantling an organization that consists of 71 people.
"They're days are over," said Wicomico County Sheriff Mike Lewis.
Police say the men and women involved are no nickel and dimers. They are alleged "kingpins" and serious traffickers, which police say have been smuggling drugs and money from New York City to Baltimore and into the county.
"The investigators, the prosecutors did a phenomenal job staying with the investigation," said Assistant Special Agent in Charge for the DEA, Carl Kotowski.
They spear-headed two operations titled "Yellow Snow" and "Follow The Yellow Brick Road."
"The operation that was coined 'Follow The Yellow Brick Road,' again was going after 'Yellow' who was one of the main players in the drug trafficking organization. 'Brick' refers to a large quantity of cocaine," said Wicomico County State's Attorney, Matt Maciarello.
Investigators seized $1 million worth of drugs, $600,000 in U.S. currency and property, and numerous firearms. Cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and pills were mostly found in intricate compartments.
Sheriff Mike Lewis gave WMDT a demonstration, on how they find the drugs. He says they're sometimes programmed through voice activation, or electrical circuits and aren't easy to open. Lewis also says these vaults are difficult to detect even with a trained eye. With 15 men still at large, there could be more out there.
"They're on our radar, we're going to track them down, and we're going to lock them up," said Sheriff Mike Lewis.
Again, 56 people have been arrested, five of them are alleged Kingpins. The majority of the suspects are facing 5 to 40 years in prison. The alleged ring leaders could see at least 20 years behind bars.
To see those arrested, and those that are still wanted, click here to view the PDF.
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