ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Over 300 law enforcement agents and officers executed a coordinated takedown today, arresting 28 individuals for their respective roles in selling drugs while armed or other firearm related criminal acts.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) began Operation Tin Panda in the Spring of 2017. In collaboration with the DEA, U.S. Postal Inspector’s Service, U.S. Marshal's Service, the Prince William County Police Department, Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office, Fairfax County Police Department, Alexandria Police Department, Stafford County Sherriff’s Office, Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office, King George County Sheriff’s Office, Prince George’s County Police Department, Maryland, Metropolitan Police Department, and the District of Columbia, law enforcement investigators and prosecutors from this office began jointly investigating area Blood gangs involved in violent crime and other criminal activity in Northern Virginia. Multiple criminal acts were tied to gang and drug activity, including, but not limited to, homicide, malicious wounding, robbery, shootings, and drug and firearms distribution. During the course of this investigation, more than 30 individuals throughout Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, and California, who were illegally selling firearms and controlled substances or were involved in other criminal acts, have been arrested.

Prior to search warrants executed today, Operation Tin Panda resulted in the recovery of over 71 firearms and approximately 1,292 grams of cocaine base, 4,408 grams of cocaine, 23,838 grams of marijuana, 2,152 grams of crystal methamphetamine, 815 grams of heroin, and 36,075 grams of THC. During search warrants executed today, law enforcement seized more firearms, heroin, and other controlled substances.

Twenty-two of the 28 were arrested on federal firearms and drug charges, while the remaining six were arrested on state charges. Please see the included table which lists the name, age, hometown, and respective charge(s) that each federal defendant faces.

Name, Age Hometown Charge(s) Tarvell Vandiver, 29 Woodbridge Conspiracy to Distribute 280 grams or more of cocaine base Jerry McAllister, 42 Laurel, Maryland Conspiracy to Distribute 100 grams or more of heroin Rashourn Niles, 37 Woodbridge Conspiracy to Distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine Chennor Bah, 30 Woodbridge Conspiracy to Distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine Nasiru Carew, 35 Dale City Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana Nathaniel Bruce Cobbold, 27 Woodbridge Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana Jamar Cox, 30 Hyattsville, Maryland Use and Carry of Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime Robert Evans, 27 Woodbridge Conspiracy to Distribute THC Deion Wright, 25 Alexandria Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime Kelvin Bennett, 27 Washington, D.C. Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime Cydrick Delrosario, 58 Springfield Conspiracy to Distribute 50 grams or more of Methamphetamine Raheem Kelly, 39 Woodbridge Conspiracy to Distribute 28 grams or more of Cocaine Base Tayvon Patterson, 24 Elkridge, Maryland Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime Tavon Bailey, 27 District Heights, MD Felon in Possession of a Firearm Alpha Kamara, 20 Woodbridge Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime Tavon Ferguson, 24 Triangle Felon in Possession of a Firearm Samantha Winter, 22 Culpepper False Statements During the Purchase of a Firearm Kaitlin McCabe, 19 Woodbridge Possession and Unlawful Transfer of a Firearm Marcus Andrei Harris, 27 Washington, D.C. Conspiracy to Distribute 50 grams or more of Methamphetamine, Use and Carry of a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime Teodoro Gonzales, 37 Woodbridge Conspiracy to Distribute 5 Grams or more of Methamphetamine, Felon in Possession of a Firearm. Orean Anthony Hayden, 29 Alexandria Use and Carry of a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime Frederick Preston Gaarsoe Turner, 36 Woodbridge Conspiracy to Distribute 50 grams or more of Methamphetamine, Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime, Possession of Methamphetamine with the Intent to Distribute Bryan Matthews, 19 Alexandria Use and Carry of a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime Brandon Edler, 23 Fredericksburg Conspiracy to Distribute 28 grams or more of Cocaine Base Anthony Lozada, 18 Woodbridge Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking Ezana Demisse, 25 Alexandria Use and Carry of a Firearm During and in Relation to Drug Trafficking Michael Lederer, 31 Woodbridge Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person Cory Patterson, 34 Fredericksburg Conspiracy to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin, Use and Carry of a Firearm During and in Relation to Drug Trafficking

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Thomas L. Chittum, III, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division, and Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after the federal arrests were made and criminal complaints were unsealed. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carina A. Cuellar and Colleen E. Garcia are prosecuting the case.

The case was investigated as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Operation Tin Panda. The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.