Joint Law Enforcement Effort Disrupts Two Multi-State Drug Trafficking Operations; Nineteen Defendants Charged in Homeland Security Task Force Initiative

MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA - Two multi-state drug trafficking organizations were taken down today with 13 federal arrests made in Maryland and West Virginia, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey.

"Thanks to the tireless, coordinated work of law enforcement across multiple states, our communities are now safer," said U.S. Attorney Matthew Harvey. "Our focus now turns to ensuring these individuals are held fully accountable for the harm they caused."

"Tearing this drug operation out from our communities across two states means ridding our neighborhoods of the poison and violence that tears families apart. Months of painstaking investigative work conducted by every partner agency led to unleashing the full force of the law to destroy this network fueling violence and addiction," said FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Richard Evanchec. "The FBI and our local, state, and federal partners state loud and clear: crime will pay a heavy price in this region, and we will not stop in the pursuit of keeping your community safe."

According to two filed indictments, two drug trafficking operations were selling large quantities of cocaine and cocaine base in Berkely and Jefferson Counties over a two-year period. One operation, led by Rohan Broadie, aka Glama G, Aneteneh Zewde Terfe, and Marvin A. Taaff of the Baltimore and Greenbelt, Maryland areas, involved 15 defendants and used multiple residences to store and distribute drugs. Members of the group allegedly possessed firearms to support their trafficking activities and handled large amounts of cash in drug proceeds. Omari Obeng Stewart, aka O, routinely traveled between Maryland and West Virginia to supply, coordinate, and sell cocaine and cocaine base throughout the region. Several defendants are charged in a drug conspiracy involving over five kilograms of cocaine and 28 grams of cocaine base. The second organization, led by brothers Jorfory and Joroy Twyman, of Ranson, West Virginia, worked together to distribute over 500 grams of cocaine and quantities of cocaine base in and around Jefferson County, West Virginia. During the investigation, law enforcement searched multiple homes and storage units, seizing tens of thousands of dollars, cocaine, and luxury items believed to have been purchased with drug proceeds.

"Today's arrests demonstrate the power of partnership in action. Building public safety is a complex challenge that no single agency can accomplish alone. Each agency contributes unique authorities and expertise, and today, that collaboration has resulted in 14 alleged drug dealers being removed from our streets," said Special Agent in Charge Eric Weindorf of Homeland Security Investigations Washington D.C. "The landscape is ever-evolving, but Homeland Security Task Force partnerships enable us to confront complex, multifaceted drug trafficking cases with a united front-leveraging our collective strengths to deliver real results."

The defendants in both cases are:

• Omari Obeng Stewart, also known as "O," 46, of Greenbelt, Maryland
• Rohan Lamante Broadie, also known as "Glama G," 53, an illegal alien from Jamaica
• Aneteneh Zewde Terfe, 45, of Baltimore, Maryland
• Christopher Wallace Jones, Jr., 38, of Capitol Heights, Maryland
• Marvin A. Taaff, 39, an illegal alien from Jamaica
• Omo-Karo Cooper, 46, of Brandywine, Maryland
• Traci-Ann Simone Ward, 41, an illegal alien from Jamaica
• LeeAnn Lopez, 33, of Greenbelt, Maryland
• Gavin Anthony Johnson, 23, of New Carrollton, Maryland
• Dante McFalls, 37, of Martinsburg, West Virginia
• Tabatha McFalls, 40, of Martinsburg, West Virginia
• Stanley Delano Lum, 41, of Martinsburg, West Virginia
• Juan Vashaun Payne, also known as "Big Guy," 51, of Martinsburg, West Virginia
• Christopher Pasco, 57, of Inwood, West Virginia
• Jorfory Twyman, also known as "Foy," 47, of Ranson, West Virginia
• Joroy Twyman, also known as "Roy," 47, of Ranson, West Virginia
• Jennifer Woodsmall, 48, of Summerville, South Carolina
• Chaz Plauche, 31, of Charles Town, West Virginia
• Unnamed fugitive

Six defendants remain at large. They are Omo-Karo Cooper, Tabatha McFalls, Juan Payne, Christopher Pasco, and an unnamed fugitive. Anyone with information can contact their local law enforcement office. Marvin Taaff was in custody prior to today's arrests.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher is prosecuting the cases on behalf of the government.

Investigative agencies include the Eastern Panhandle Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; the FBI, Pittsburgh Field Office; Homeland Security Investigations; the West Virginia State Police; the Berkeley County Sheriff's Office; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Martinsburg Police Department; the Ranson Police Department; the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office; the U.S. National Guard, Martinsburg; the United States Postal Service - Office of Inspector General, Mid Atlantic Area Field Office; the Bureau of Prisons; the FBI, Washington Field Office; the FBI, Baltimore Field Office; the Montgomery County, Maryland Police Department; the Prince George's County, Maryland Police Department; the Virginia State Police; the Drug Enforcement Administration, Washington Field Office; and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Information.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of West Virginia.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.