Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday said Sunday that authorities dismantled a drug ring operating out of a sham coffee shop in North Philadelphia and arrested 17 suspects in a sweep officials called “Operation Cocaine and Coffee.” Officials said the second floor of Cumberland Coffee and Snacks was used to cook and package crack cocaine for street-level distribution.
Authorities identified 56-year-old Lewis Alexander as the alleged leader and said the group was run largely by longtime, senior figures in the criminal world. “Well, today, North Philadelphia’s, the Lewis Alexander drug trafficking organization, they have a new turf and it’s inside a correctional facility,” Sunday said. “Some of the defendants here are in their 50s, 60s and 70s,” he added.
Officials said warrants were served at roughly 30 locations across Philadelphia, Delaware County and New Jersey. Prosecutors said the investigation also swept up a nearby bar and barbershop as they worked to dismantle the network. “Many of these defendants have been at this a very long time. They were menaces to society, to people and families who just want to live free without concern of violence and crime in their everyday life,” Sunday said.
Authorities said the raid yielded 27 firearms, roughly four pounds of cocaine, more than 130 pounds of marijuana, as well as fentanyl, ecstasy and cash. Officials said the defendants face felony counts including running a corrupt organization, drug trafficking and illegal firearm possession.
Officials said the group had “plagued the community with ‘absolute harm’ for more than a decade” and is believed to have ties to violent crime. Alexander is currently incarcerated on $750,000 bail, according to authorities.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
