As they say, “What will they think of next?”
Six men a part of a “drug empire” hid millions of dollars worth of meth and cocaine inside Bluetooth karaoke speakers and smuggled the narcotic-filled devices from California to Pennsylvania, state officials said.
The Byrne Drug Trafficking Organization shipped around $5 million in drugs over the past six months, Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn announced Wednesday during a news conference. Now its members face a slew of drug-related and corrupt organization charges, Schorn added.
“I hope the outcome of this investigation serves to warn drug dealers in our community that you will be identified, caught, and prosecuted for your crimes and we will not tolerate criminal enterprises that profit from those who suffer from addiction,” Schorn said.
State prosecutors allege Matthew James Byrne, 43, of Broomall, Delaware County, is the leader of the organization. Investigators learned that Byrne made numerous trips to Los Angeles, either once or twice a month throughout this year, to buy cocaine and meth to fund their organization, the Bucks County DA’s office said in a news release.
How did the Byrne Drug Trafficking Organization smuggle cocaine and meth?
The reason Byrne bought the drugs in California is because of the state’s proximity to Mexico and the lower cost of illicit drugs, according to prosecutors. The cross-country trips to Los Angeles would be for two to three days and involve Byrne meeting with narcotic brokers to purchase drugs, smuggling them inside the Bluetooth speakers or homemade wooden boxes then shipping them to Pennsylvania by providing fake names as the recipients of the packages.
