Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Operation Tin Panda Takedown Results in 36 Convictions
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Beginning in the early morning hours of Dec. 6, 2017, over 300 law enforcement agents and officers executed a coordinated takedown codenamed Operation Tin Panda. To date, this major operation has resulted in the conviction of 36 individuals on federal firearms and drug charges.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division and the FBI’s Washington Field Office began Operation Tin Panda in the Spring of 2017. In collaboration with federal and local law enforcement, investigators and prosecutors began jointly investigating Blood gangs and other drug distributors involved in violent crime and other criminal activity in Northern Virginia. Multiple criminal acts were tied to gang and drug activity, including homicide, malicious wounding, robbery, shootings, and drug and firearms distribution. During the course of this investigation, more than 40 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 on federal firearms and drug charges.
Operation Tin Panda also resulted in the seizure of over 95 firearms, $150,000 in cash, nine vehicles with an estimated value of over $300,000, and approximately 3 pounds of cocaine base, 10 pounds of cocaine, 7 pounds of crystal methamphetamine, 5 pounds of heroin, 4 pounds of ecstasy, 227 pounds of marijuana, and 79 pounds of THC.
Operation Tin Panda was led by the ATF’s Washington Field Division and the FBI’s Washington Field Office. The DEA, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Postal Inspection 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, Caroline County Sheriff’s Office, Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, Prince George’s County Police Department, Maryland, and the Metropolitan Police Department, provided significant assistance during the operation.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, 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 Nancy McNamara, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement. 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.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER.
Please see the included table, which lists the name, age, hometown, respective charge(s), and resulting or potential sentence for each federal defendant who has been convicted.
|
Name, Age City |
Conviction(s) |
Result |
|
Tarvell Vandiver, 29 Woodbridge |
Conspiracy to Distribute 280 grams or more of Cocaine Base, 5 kilograms or more of Cocaine, 100 grams or more of Heroin, and Use and Carry of a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime. |
Faces 20 years on September 28. |
|
Jerry McAllister, 42 Laurel, Maryland |
Conspiracy to Distribute 100 grams or more of Heroin. |
Sentenced to 60 months. |
|
Rashourn Niles, 37 Woodbridge |
Conspiracy to Distribute 280 grams or more of Cocaine Base, 5 kilograms or more of Cocaine, and 100 grams or more of Heroin. |
Faces a mandatory minimum of 20 years and a maximum of life on August 31. |
|
Chennor Bah, 30 Woodbridge |
Conspiracy to Distribute 500 grams or more of Cocaine, and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. |
Faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life on June 15. |
|
Tavon Bailey, 27 District Heights, Maryland |
Felon in Possession of a Firearm. |
Faces a maximum of 10 years on June 1. |
|
Brandon Edler, 23 Fredericksburg |
Conspiracy to Distribute 28 grams or more of Cocaine Base, Felon in Possession of a Firearm. |
Faces a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum of 40 years on June 8. |
|
Mark Ketter, 39 Alexandria |
Conspiracy to Distribute 100 grams or more of Heroin. |
Faces a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum of 40 years on June 22. |
|
Ishmil Hardwick, 25 Woodbridge |
Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl, Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. |
Faces a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum of life on August 24. |
|
Michael Lederer, 31 Woodbridge |
Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person. |
Faces a maximum of 10 years on September 14 |
|
Sade Anglin, 28 Woodbridge |
Maintaining a Drug Premise. |
Faces a maximum of 20 years on August 3. |
|
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. |
Sentenced to 15 years. |
|
Nasiru Carew, 35 Dale City |
Conspiracy to distribute 1,000 kilograms or more of Marijuana and THC. |
Faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life on August 24. |
|
Nathaniel Bruce Cobbold, 27 Woodbridge |
Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana and THC. |
Faces a maximum of 20 years on June 1. |
|
Jamar Cox, 30 Hyattsville, Maryland |
Use and Carry of Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime. |
Faces a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum of life on June 8. |
|
Robert Evans, 27 Woodbridge |
Conspiracy to Distribute THC. |
Faces a maximum of 20 years on June 29. |
|
Deion Wright, 25 Alexandria |
Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. |
Faces a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum of life on June 22. |
|
Kelvin Bennett, 27 Washington, D.C. |
Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. |
Faces a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum of life on June 15. |
|
Ezana Demisse, 25 Alexandria |
Use and Carry of a Firearm During and in Relation to Drug Trafficking. |
Faces a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum of life on June 1. |
|
Izeah Williams, 31 Woodbridge |
Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana and THC. |
Faces a maximum of 20 years on June 15. |
|
Tayvon Patterson, 24 Elkridge, Maryland |
Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana and THC, Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. |
Faces a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum of life on June 1. |
|
Devon Byrd, 26 King George |
Possession of THC with the Intent to Distribute, and Use and Carry of a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime. |
Faces a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum of life on June 1. |
|
Samantha Winter, 22 Culpepper |
Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person, False Statements During the Purchase of a Firearm, False Statement to a Licensed Firearms Dealer. |
Faces a maximum of 25 years on July 20. |
|
Alpha Kamara, 20 Woodbridge |
Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. |
Sentenced to 60 months. |
|
Orean Anthony Hayden, 29 Alexandria |
Use and Carry of a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime. |
Sentenced to 60 months. |
|
Tavon Ferguson, 24 Triangle |
Felon in Possession of a Firearm. |
Sentenced to 27 months. |
|
Raheem Kelly, 39 Woodbridge |
Conspiracy to Distribute 28 grams or more of Cocaine Base. |
Faces a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum of 40 years on July 27. |
|
Bryan Matthews, 19 Alexandria |
Use and Carry of a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime. |
Sentenced to 60 months. |
|
Anthony Lozada, 18 Woodbridge |
Use, Carry, Brandish, and Discharge of a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime. |
Sentenced to 10 years. |
|
Kaitlyn McCabe, 19 Woodbridge |
False Statements During the Purchase of a Firearm. |
Faces a maximum of five years on June 22. |
|
Derek Harden, 22 Woodbridge |
False Statements During the Purchase of a Firearm. |
Faces a maximum of 10 years on June 29. |
|
Bassam Hassan Ramadan, 31 Woodbridge |
Conspiracy to Distribute 50 grams or more of Methamphetamine, Use and Carry of a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime. |
Faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and a maximum of life on June 22. |
|
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. |
Sentenced to 15 years. |
|
Frederick Preston Gaarsoe Turner, 36 Woodbridge |
Conspiracy to Distribute 50 grams or more of Methamphetamine, Possession of Methamphetamine with the Intent to Distribute, two counts of Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. |
Faces a mandatory minimum of 40 years and a maximum of life on June 29. |
|
Cydrick Delrosario, 58 Springfield |
Conspiracy to Distribute 50 grams or more of Methamphetamine. |
Sentenced to 132 months. |
|
Teodoro Gonzales, 37 Woodbridge |
Conspiracy to Distribute 50 grams or more of a Mixture of Methamphetamine, Felon in Possession of a Firearm. |
Sentenced to 108 months. |
|
Shannon Marie Sisney, 44 Virginia Beach |
Conspiracy to Distribute 50 grams or more of Methamphetamine. |
Sentenced to 50 months. |
|
Luthgardo Roque Arao, 47 Alexandria |
Conspiracy to Distribute 50 grams or more of Methamphetamine. |
Sentenced to 120 months. |
###