Fifteen Men Charged in Superseding Indictment Targeting a Transnational Methamphetamine and GBL Trafficking Organization

WASHINGTON - Fifteen defendants are charged in a twelve-count superseding indictment unsealed today in U.S. District Court in connection with a sprawling, transnational drug trafficking organization that imported massive quantities of methamphetamine from California and gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) from South Korea for distribution in Washington, D.C., and elsewhere along the East Coast, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

"This organization peddled a deadly combination of meth and GBL, putting lives at risk for profit. They used encrypted apps, shell companies, and the U.S. mail to hide their operation. It didn't work," said U.S. Attorney Pirro. "Fifteen defendants now face federal charges. Since my appointment as U.S. Attorney, my office, alongside the Homeland Security Task Force, has seized more than 1,800 pounds of meth. To those flooding our communities with deadly drugs: we will find you, dismantle your operation, and put you behind bars."

"The criminals involved in these operations-more than 15 apprehended so far- have pushed too far by distributing dangerous drugs and threatening the well-being of our people, our community, and our children," said Special Agent in Charge Cindy Marx of the DEA Washington Division. "They operated a complex, multi-layered drug trafficking network stretching from Washington, D.C., and across the East Coast, with active plans to expand their drug trafficking network into other parts of our country. We are going after all of them. Together with our Homeland Security and Safe and Beautiful Task Force partners, we will succeed."

"HSI is proud to stand with our partners from across government to announce another milestone in this Homeland Security Task Force operation. We continue the work of disrupting the networks funneling deadly drugs into the United States and into our communities," said Acting Special Agent in Charge Kai Wah Chan of Homeland Security Investigations - Washington, D.C. "Protecting the Homeland is not the job of a single agency. Today's results show that together, we're making our country safer, one investigation at a time."

"Today's indictment sends a resounding message that IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agents are committed to working with our law enforcement partners to aggressively uncover, dismantle, and disrupt drug trafficking network," said Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation Washington D.C. Field Office. "IRS-CI brings unmatched financial investigative expertise to complex criminal cases. Regardless of the complexity of the investigation, whether it is money laundering, Bank Secrecy Act violations, complex financial fraud, or leveraging our tax authority, we will continue to take criminals off the street and dismantle transnational criminal organizations."

Yesterday, law enforcement arrested four of the alleged traffickers and executed search warrants across two federal judicial districts: the District of Columbia and the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The eleven other defendants previously charged in this case were arrested in late-April and early-May 2026, and eight of the eleven were ordered detained during the pendency of this case.

During yesterday's takedowns, law enforcement recovered approximately 13 pounds of methamphetamine, about 1.5 pounds of GBL, additional narcotics including ecstasy pills, and more than $16,000 in cash. Portions of these seizures are displayed below:

In aggregate, over the course of the investigation, law enforcement has seized more than 87 kilograms of high-purity methamphetamine, more than 800 kilograms of GBL in the United States, along with more than 57 kilograms of ketamine and additional narcotics. Additionally, working with South Korean law enforcement, U.S. prosecutors and agents traveled to Seoul to identify GBL exporters and disrupt the supply chain at its source. That bilateral cooperation resulted in the arrest of five South Korean nationals by South Korean authorities and, in September 2025, the seizure of approximately 1.5 metric tons of GBL - the largest domestic seizure of a controlled substance ever recorded in South Korea.

The superseding indictment charges four new defendants. Joseph Micha Macias, 47; Jason Andrew Frasher, 52; and Peter Allan Rothberg, 42, each of the District; as well as Rassoul Amall Martin-Wilson, aka "Duce" and "Deuce," 40, of Philadelphia. Each are charged with conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine and 50 grams or more of pure methamphetamine (actual). Rothberg is additionally charged with conspiracy to distribute a detectable amount of GBL. 

Macias also is charged with five counts of unlawful possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine (actual). Frasher is charged with two counts of

unlawful possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine (actual); and Rothberg is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine (actual).

On October 27, 2026, Martin-Wilson was ordered detained pending trial by the Honorable Craig M. Straw of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Macias, Frasher, and Rothberg are each set for their initial appearances in the District of Columbia before the Honorable Zia M. Faruqui on October 28, 2026.

The initial indictment named defendants Artemio Jacobo-Magana, 26, of Santa Ana, California; Aaron James Landry, 39, of Los Angeles; Matthew Thomas Kent, 40, of the District; Colton Keet Huthsing, 30, of the District; Rene Alexander Acosta, 33, of Baltimore; Javier Gomez-Franco, 48, of Baltimore; Joshua Glen Taylor, 47, of the District; Robert David Fitch, 40, of Baltimore; Michael Robert Spitzer, 52, of New York City; Scott Patrick Morgan, aka "Scotty Rox," 44, of New York City; and Kenneth Harold Archer, 46, of Fort Lauderdale. They each were charged with conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine, 50 grams or more of pure methamphetamine (actual), and a detectable amount of GBL. 

Spitzer, Morgan, and Gomez-Franco were additionally charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering in connection with their drug trafficking activity. Kent was charged with three counts of distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine (actual) for specific transactions in the District of Columbia. Chief Judge James E. Boasberg is presiding over the case. All defendants face mandatory minimum sentences of 10 years to life in prison. Gregory Wallace is separately charged by complaint with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and GBL, and with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

According to court documents, from at least November 2022 and continuing through the present day, the defendants and their co-conspirators operated a multi-layered drug trafficking network stretching along the Northeast Corridor from New York City to Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C.

The conspiracy had active expansion efforts underway into Chicago, Florida, and Southern California. The organization sourced methamphetamine in California and imported GBL from South Korea, distributing both substances to an established customer base while actively recruiting new markets.

The conspiracy operated with a defined division of labor. Upstream suppliers sourced narcotics in bulk; regional distributors stored, repackaged, and moved product; and downstream distributors sold to customers while collecting and concealing proceeds. Members used encrypted messaging applications, coded language, commercial parcel services, stash locations, and shell business entities to facilitate and conceal operations. The conspiracy accepted drug payments through peer-to-peer payment platforms and laundered the funds through business accounts designed to disguise the proceeds as legitimate income.

GBL is an industrial solvent with legitimate commercial applications as a paint remover, adhesive, and nail polish remover. When illegally sold for human use, it is a Schedule I controlled substance. The body rapidly metabolizes GBL into GHB, one of the most pervasive date rape drugs currently available. GBL is sometimes called "Liquid Ecstasy" and is abused as a euphoria-inducing club drug. GBL has a dangerously narrow safety margin: a small increase in dosage can produce unconsciousness, seizures, slowed heart rate, severe respiratory depression, coma, or death.

The organization distributed methamphetamine and GBL together for simultaneous consumption in a poly-drug combination known as "sexchem." The pairing is considered lethal and unpredictable. The investigation identified that local D.C.-based distributors were selling the drugs together as party drugs, compounding the risk to users. The newly-added defendants were bulk distributors of methamphetamine within the District of Columbia, with Martin-Wilson serving as a primary source of supply after the initial indictment and coordinated search and arrest operation was conducted earlier this year.

Joining U.S. Attorney Pirro in the announcement were DEA Special Agent in Charge Cindy Marx of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Division; Acting Special Agent in Charge Kai Wah Chan of Homeland Security Investigations - Washington D.C. and Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter of Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation.

This investigation is being conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Division; Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation; Homeland Security Investigations Washington Field Office; the DEA New York Division; the DEA Seoul Country Office; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Washington Division; and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The Arlington County Police Department, Metropolitan Police Department, and Prince George's County Police Department provided valuable assistance.

The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew W. Kinskey, George P. Eliopoulos, and Solomon S. Eppel of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking (VCNT) Section for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.

This operation is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by President Trump's 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. HSTF Washington D.C. comprises agents and officers from the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, IRS Criminal Investigations and others with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.

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

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