Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Edward Holloway, 34, of Philadelphia, PA was charged by Indictment with possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, all stemming from a vehicle search conducted during traffic stop earlier this year.

In January 2021, Philadelphia Police Department officers initiated a traffic stop of the defendant’s vehicle. A subsequent search of the vehicle is alleged to have uncovered a large quantity of cocaine and additional packets of crack cocaine in a void under the vehicle’s center console. Investigators are also alleged to have recovered a loaded semiautomatic firearm from the same location.

“Drugs and firearms are a very dangerous combination, especially in Philadelphia where the violent crime rate has reached record-breaking levels,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “Through the initiatives we launched this year like #AllHandsOnDeck and DOJ-OJP Public Safety Partnership, and the recently announced grant funding for the PSN program, we will continue our coordination with the Philadelphia Police Department and federal agencies to make the community safer by removing criminals like this from our streets.”

“This investigation is a result of our outstanding partnership with the Philadelphia Police Department and the Pennsylvania State Police,” said Matthew Varisco, Special Agent in charge of ATF’s Philadelphia Field Division. “Convicted felons who carry firearms pose a serious risk to public safety. ATF will continue to aggressively pursue these investigations and work with our law enforcement partners to remove these violent criminals from our communities.”

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

If convicted of all charges, the defendant faces a total possible maximum sentence of lifetime imprisonment, a 15-year mandatory minimum term of imprisonment, at least three years of supervised release, a fine of $1.5 million, and a $300 special assessment.

The case was investigated by the Philadelphia Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Martin Howley.

An indictment, information, or criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.