Philadelphia man sent to prison as 'middleman' in SE Pa. crystal meth drug ring

NORRISTOWN — A Philadelphia man described by prosecutors as the “middleman” for a crystal methamphetamine trafficking organization that put hundreds of pounds of the addictive drug on the streets of Montgomery County and other areas has been sent to prison.

Richard E. “Rambo” Quarles Jr., 25, of the 4200 block of Pennsgrove Street, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to 3 to 6 years in a state correctional facility after he pleaded guilty to charges of corrupt organizations, possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine and conspiracy in connection with the drug trafficking organization that flooded Southeastern Pennsylvania and beyond with methamphetamine, which was shipped from Los Angeles to the leaders of the group in the Philadelphia suburbs between 2019 and 2022.

Judge Virgil B. Walker imposed the sentence as part of a plea agreement.

With the charges, prosecutors alleged Quarles would pick up the drugs from Philadelphia members of the organization and then transport the drugs to other sub-dealers, including in West Virginia.

“He was essentially the driver who transported narcotics,” explained county Assistant District Attorney Allison Ruth. “He’s like a middleman. He’s not making deliveries to users. He’s making deliveries to other dealers who are then putting it out on the street. He’s the driver moving from A to B, taking direction from other people.”

Ruth and co-prosecutor Gabrielle Hughes sought the state prison term against Quarles.

“While this defendant wasn’t the most culpable in this corrupt organization, he was an essential piece of it because he transported it to West Virginia and to other counties. So without him, it wouldn’t have had that widespan effect,” Ruth added.

Defense lawyer Michael Walker represented Quarles during the guilty plea hearing.

The man prosecutors identified as the California source of the crystal methamphetamine, Ricky R. Evans, 29, of Los Angeles, previously was sentenced to 8½ to 17 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to charges of corrupt organizations, possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine and conspiracy.

Specifically, with the charges, prosecutors alleged Evans trafficked 200 pounds of methamphetamine to the county, of which 60 pounds was seized by investigators. In court papers, prosecutors alleged the investigation revealed Evans received more than $86,000 from people in the organization in exchange for methamphetamine and he shipped dozens of pounds of the dangerous drug for the purpose of distribution.

Detectives estimated that one pound of methamphetamine can be broken down into 1,000 doses to be sold on the street.

Authorities said methamphetamine is a strong and highly addictive drug that affects the central nervous system and can cause rapid heart rate, increased blood pressure and damage to small blood vessels in the brain. The drug is commonly abused because of the long-lasting euphoric effects it produces on the human body, according to authorities.

Quarles and Evans were among numerous individuals arrested in connection with the drug ring in March 2022.

Authorities identified Evans and four others, including men from King of Prussia, Exton and East Lansdowne, as alleged ringleaders of the organization.

The others are still awaiting court action on various drug-related charges. They are: Joshua Quiles, 32, of the 600 block of South Goddard Boulevard, King of Prussia; Jhamir H. Winans, 22, of the 100 block of North Pottstown Pike, Exton; Tyrone P. Baker, 30, of the unit block of Melrose Avenue, East Lansdowne, Delaware County; and Shakeem M. Johnson, 28, of the 4600 block of East Flat Rock Road, Philadelphia.

At the time of the arrests, investigators alleged the drug trafficking organization was believed to have been responsible for the distribution of approximately 800 pounds of crystal methamphetamine between 2019 and 2022, as well as the trafficking of other illegal drugs, including fentanyl and oxycodone.

The 83 pounds of crystal methamphetamine that was seized during the investigation, if sold as single doses on the street, was worth between $2.6 million and $3.7 million, detectives alleged.

The investigation involved interviews, the strategic use of confidential informants, controlled drug buys, physical surveillance, search warrants, electronic surveillance, GPS tracking, cellphone data analysis and court ordered wiretaps.

The investigation began with the arrest of an Upper Darby man in March 2021 after he allegedly sold more than two pounds of methamphetamine to an undercover officer in Lower Merion. Law enforcement learned the man was part of a large-scale methamphetamine drug trafficking organization that supplied not only Montgomery County and the Philadelphia area, but also reached into New Jersey, Maryland and West Virginia.

The investigation revealed Baker, Quiles, Winans, Johnson and others connected to the drug trafficking organization allegedly were acquiring large quantities of methamphetamine from supplier Evans in Los Angeles. The drugs were shipped by Evans to the four defendants and others involved in the conspiracy, via the U.S. Postal Service, FedEx and UPS from different post office locations, UPS Stores and other shipping stores, detectives alleged.

During the course of the investigation, it was learned of a parallel investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Homeland Security Investigations, which identified 91 packages shipped between October 2019 and December 2021 that matched the pattern associated with the drug trafficking organization with mailing or a return address in the Los Angeles and Philadelphia areas. Fifteen of the 91 packages were seized by law enforcement, and all contained methamphetamine, totaling approximately 60 pounds, according to authorities.

Multiple search warrants were executed in Montgomery, Chester, Delaware and Philadelphia counties, as well as Camden County, N.J., Clarksburg, W.Va., and Los Angeles, Calif.

In addition to the 83 pounds of crystal methamphetamine, authorities seized 200 baggies of fentanyl, 100 oxycodone pills, 17 handguns and eight long-guns, including one “Ghost gun” and approximately $135,000 in cash.

The investigation was led by the Montgomery County Detective Bureau in conjunction with the United States Postal Inspection Service and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistance was provided by the Delaware County Criminal Investigations Division; Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation Southeast Strike Force; Drug Enforcement Agency groups in Philadelphia and Los Angeles; Upper Merion Police Department; Lower Merion Police Department; Upper Darby Police Department; Philadelphia Police Department; Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General; and authorities in Camden County, N.J., and Harrison County, W. Va.

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