Baltimore City’s public safety leaders — including officials from the state attorney’s office, the Baltimore Police Department and the mayor’s office — held a news conference on Thursday, announcing the takedown of a drug organization that operated in the Gay Street neighborhood of East Baltimore.
Police say they launched an investigation in the 900 block of North Broadway Street earlier this year, after an uptick in shootings. Using physical and electronic surveillance, investigators said they uncovered guns including two assault rifles, 80 grams of crack cocaine, two pounds of marijuana and $10,000 in cash from the so-called Dickeyland Boys.
When announcing the harm caused by the alleged drug traffickers, authorities credited the group violence reduction strategy (GVRS) for the successful takedown. GVRS targets organized criminal groups involved in violent activities by combining law enforcement efforts with community engagement and support services.
”We can offer pathways out of the life of violence,” said Police Commissioner, Richard Worley. “Justice will be served to those who don't accept services or continue to cause violence in our communities. There is no tolerance for disregard for the law.”
Two of the seven indicted have agreed to participate in Roca, a nonprofit working to interrupt the cycle of violence.
“Our GVRS participants work closely with life coaches at Roca and youth advocate programs,” said Stefanie Mavronis, director of the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Safety & Engagement (MONSE). “They're matched with transitional employment, providing a safe relocation where needed. They’re connected to other lifelines with their families in mind. GVRS participants are remaining safe, alive and free.”
According to Mavronis, 160 people have participated in the group violence reduction strategy since its launch in 2022. 91% have not committed crimes since, and more than 93% have not been re-victimized. While touting the programs success and plans for expansion, mayor Brandon Scott also issued a warning to those at-risk of perpetrating violent crime.
“Anyone who chooses to ignore GVRS’s anti-violence mandate will face swift, certain, and legitimate accountability and today we are once again following through on that promise,” said Scott”
Click here to view the charging documents.
