Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 122896 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 614(@200wpm)___ 492(@250wpm)___ 410(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122896 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 614(@200wpm)___ 492(@250wpm)___ 410(@300wpm)
“You didn’t catch wind of any of this shit while you were undercover with the Russos?” Finn asked her.
“No. There could’ve been some low-level dealing but my guess is once Frankie, the former underboss, took over, he decided to expand on that. I do know his father wanted to stay out of the drug business. But now with Frank Sr. out of the way, Junior is now boss. This has to be a new venture for them. If they were moving this amount, I can’t imagine I wouldn’t have gotten even a slight whiff of it.”
“Agreed,” Crew said. “This flow of meth only recently hit the DEA’s radar, spurring them to establish this task force to squash it. Fletch, you want to add anything from your end, since you’re dealing directly with the Demons’ Uniontown chapter?”
Shane Fletcher, a state trooper currently undercover with the Dirty Angels MC spoke next. “The Demons are breaking down their kilo by cutting it with cheap baking soda. They’re then distributing it to key players within their MC. Those key players have ‘teams’ of fellow MC brothers to sell it on the street, in bars, at bike rallies, wherever. Our contact right now is really limited to Wolf and his crew, but we’re working on getting in tighter with him.”
Crew picked up from there. “Because of this organized effort, the data shows that their club is the fastest growing outlaw MC in the country right now. This all stems back to this hookup with the Russos. Overflowing coffers only makes their MC stronger and is creating a snowball effect by allowing them to expand both sales and territory by adding chapters to their club. But that’s not all. They’re also buying up businesses in PA and Ohio to launder money and expand retail sales. Think backdoor dealing. They’re grabbing locations where their customers tend to hang out, like bars, strip clubs, roach motels, used car lots, pizza shops… shit like that. Places with high traffic. Cash comes in, drugs and washed money goes out.”
Torres cut in again. “While all of this might make them financially stronger, it also makes them weaker. The more people involved in these enterprises, the higher the chances of their house of cards falling down around them. It just takes one pulled card for it all to tumble.”
Crew nodded. “Our three groups are tasked with pulling that card and demolishing that house. But to do it right, we need to take them and the Russos down in a coordinated effort. Especially when it comes time for indictments. It needs to be organized and swift.”
“Squash them like the fucking roaches they are.” Mullins, a narcotic detective with the Pittsburgh PD, slammed his hand on the table like he was doing just that.
“Anyway,” Crew continued, “in the meantime, I have something new we can move on. A few days ago, Rodgers had contact with a CI who bought an ounce out of a strip club right outside of Uniontown. It just so happens The Peach Pit was recently bought by the Demons. Of course that purchase was an immediate red flag. We also heard chatter that they could be using some of the strippers as mules to move product or using them to deal. The info was a bit sketchy on that point. All the CI could tell Rodgers was that he walked in with cash and walked out with an ounce. We need to confirm that’s what’s happening and who’s involved. If it’s true and they’re also using that location to launder cash, that’s another RICO violation, not for the Russos, since they’re racking those up on their own, but for the Demons. The more charges we can pin on them and their members, the better to take the whole organization down. And if we take them down, we can choke the flow of meth into PA. Or at least this particular pipeline.”
“And that’s the reason we’re all sitting around this table. So, now what?” Rez asked.
“I’d like to set someone up in the strip club. Maybe not long-term but at least long enough to confirm and document that the Demons are using The Peach Pit as part of their drug business. Whether by selling from there, laundering money or using the girls as mules. Or even all of the above.”
“You want one of us to go in as a regular?” Decker asked.
“That’s one option I’m tossing around. The other is to have someone work there to get a peek behind the scenes.”
“The only female on the team is Wilder. She’s already undercover with Fletch and the Dirty Angels,” Finn reminded him. “Are you planning on pulling her, or bringing someone new on board?”
Crew shook his head. “I’m not pulling her. I want Fletch and Nova to stay put. While we can’t bring in anyone new because of the budget, I have another idea.”