‘Drug empire’ smuggled cocaine and methamphetamine in Bluetooth karaoke speakers

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Six men have been charged with being part of a “drug empire” that smuggled millions of dollars worth of cocaine and methamphetamine via Bluetooth karaoke speakers from California to Pennsylvania.

Six men part of a “drug empire” hid millions of dollars worth of methamphetamine and cocaine in Bluetooth karaoke speakers and smuggled the narcotics-filled devices from California into Pennsylvania, state officials said.

The Byrne Drug Trafficking Organization has shipped about $5 million worth of drugs over the past six months, Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn announced at a news conference Wednesday. Now, its members are facing a series of drug-related and corrupt organization charges, Schorn added.

“I hope the outcome of this investigation will serve as a warning to drug dealers in our community that you will be identified, caught and prosecuted for your crimes and that we will not tolerate criminal enterprises that profit from people suffering from addiction,” Schorn said.

Prosecutors allege that Matthew James Byrne, 43, of Broomall, Delaware County, is the leader of the organization. Investigators found that Byrne traveled to Los Angeles several times a month this year to purchase cocaine and methamphetamine to fund their organization, the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.

How did the Byrne Drug Trafficking Organization smuggle cocaine and methamphetamine?

The reason Byrne bought the drugs in California was the state’s proximity to Mexico and the lower cost of illegal drugs, prosecutors said. The cross-country trips to Los Angeles would take two to three days and involve Byrne meeting with drug dealers to buy drugs, smuggling them in Bluetooth speakers or homemade wooden crates, then shipping them to Pennsylvania by giving false names as the recipients of the packages.

Narcotics detectives tracked 12 shipments to areas in Bristol Township and Montgomery County, with each package containing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of drugs, according to the DA’s office. Most of the packages were delivered to Byrne’s brother, 47-year-old Joseph Byrne, in Bristol Township.

Prosecutors said authorities intercepted three of the shipments at United Parcel Service’s facility in Woldport, Kentucky, and found nearly $1.2 million worth of cocaine and methamphetamine hidden in three Bluetooth speakers.

The Byrne brothers, Khalik Kemp, 34, of Philadelphia and Christian Garwood, 55, of Flourton, Montgomery County, were charged Monday. Two California men — Ralph Brooks, 42, of Los Angeles and Chaz Harness-Walker, 40, of Inglewood — also have been charged with participating in the organization, but have not yet been jailed.

How was the Byrne Drug Trafficking Organization caught?

To arrest the alleged drug traffickers, investigators tracked travel records, intercepted communications and kept tabs on the suspects in both California and Pennsylvania, according to the DA’s office. In one of the intercepted communications, a member of the drug organization was heard describing the quality of the cocaine they were buying in California as “slamming” and “powerful.”

During the investigation, investigators identified members of the organization and their roles, including “distributors, transporters, storage coordinators, street dealers and drug brokers,” prosecutors said. Two Bluetooth speakers were also recovered during the investigation and, although they were empty, tests confirmed a positive result for cocaine residue in the devices.

On July 18, detectives also executed search warrants at several homes in Philadelphia, Delaware and Montgomery counties, seizing cocaine, other drugs, drug paraphernalia, four guns and more than $20,000 in cash, the district attorney’s office said.

“This case shows that there is no limit to the lengths that traffickers will go to profit from the trafficking of toxins that devastate families and communities,” Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry said in the news release. “Great cooperation by law enforcement partners disrupted this sophisticated organization and shut down a cocaine and methamphetamine pipeline.”

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