Crime & Safety
Greenbelt Man Charged in Heroin Ring
Indictment alleges his group smuggled $250,000 worth of drugs through Dulles.
Joseph Duodo of Greenbelt, Md., along with seven additional members of an alleged international heroin ring, have been charged and, all but one, have been arrested, after an investigation conducted by law enforcement in the United States and Ghana, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) officials said Thursday.
The ring allegedly moved $250,000 through Dulles International Airport from September 2010 to February 2011, according to the unsealed indictment.
The eight charged represent not only the couriers but also the “command and control” of the group, said Neil MacBride, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
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Of the eight charged, only seven have been apprehended. The DEA declined to acknowledge which of the eight was not in custody. Four are in custody in Ghana and will be returned to the United States to face charges.
The others charged were Nuru (unknown last name); Frank Ehiobe; Fred Oppong Brobbey; William Andoh, of the Bronx, N.Y.; and Theophilus Akwei of Germantown, Md.
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Duodo and the rest were charged with conspiracy to import heroin. Duodo and some of the others were also charged with distribution for the purpose of unlawful importation of heroin and possession with intent to distribute heroin.
Each of the charges in the indictment carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison, if convicted.
Speaking at a press conference in the District, MacBride said the group smuggled heroin on at least three separate commercial airline flights into Dulles. MacBride said the smugglers used special bags hidden in the liner of their suitcases to sneak the drugs past Customs.
They distributed heroin along the East Coast, said Ava Cooper-Davis, the DEA's special agent in charge for the Washington Division.
MacBride said the investigation into this alleged ring, which he believes to be no older than one year old, is ongoing and that more charges are possible. Arlington County Police assisted in the investigation.
DEA officials believe that this is an example of the growing trafficking industry in West Africa.
“Let this be a message to other who would engage in trafficking drugs into the United States, you must know that there are no boundaries that can protect you from the long arm of the U.S. justice system. There is no ‘safe haven’ from your crimes,” Cooper-Davis