A Broomall man orchestrated a cross-country drug ring that shipped cocaine and meth to Bucks County, DA says

A Broomall man made nine trips to Los Angeles this year while acting as the leader of a drug ring that shipped millions of dollars worth of cocaine and methamphetamine hidden in Bluetooth speakers and homemade wooden boxes to Bucks County, prosecutors said Wednesday.

He did this, his older brother told police, to help fund his children’s tuition and “set them up” for life, according to the affidavit of probable cause for his arrest.

Matthew Byrne, 43, has been charged with racketeering, conspiracy, and multiple felony drug charges for allegedly overseeing the operation. His brother, Joseph, 47, faces similar charges, as do Khalik Kemp, 34, Christian Garwood, 55, and Chaz Harness-Walker, 40, who prosecutors say bought and sold drugs supplied by Byrne in the city and its suburbs.

Byrne’s contact in California, a Crips street gang member named Ralph Brooks, 42, also faces charges.

Kemp, Garwood and the two Byrne brothers remained in custody, unable to post their bail. Harness-Walker and Brooks had not been taken into custody as of Wednesday.

Lawyers for Matthew Byrne and Kemp did not return requests for comment. Joseph Byrne’s attorney, Paul Lang, declined to comment.

The other defendants did not have attorneys listed in court records.

Bucks County District Attorney Jen Schorn, in announcing the arrests Wednesday, said she could “only imagine how many lives were spared by the interception of these dangerous drugs.”

“I hope the outcome of this investigation serves to warn drug dealers in our community that you will be identified, caught, and prosecuted for your crimes and we will not tolerate criminal enterprises that profit from those who suffer from addiction,” Schorn said.

Prosecutors say Matthew Byrne first traveled to Los Angeles in January, and made eight other trips there through July. On those occasions, Byrne met with Brooks at his home, where he processed and packaged cocaine and methamphetamine for shipment, the affidavit said.

Byrne chose to purchase the narcotics in California, prosecutors said, because of its proximity to Mexico. Investigators intercepted conversations between Byrne and Kemp in which they discussed the purity and quality of the drugs, calling them “slamming” and “powerful,” according to the affidavit.

A total of 12 packages — all sent at times when Byrne was visiting California — were shipped to Levittown, either to his brother’s home or a house owned by a female relative, according to court documents.

Three of those packages were intercepted by investigators at a processing facility in Kentucky. Each contained pounds of the narcotics, hidden inside Ridgeway brand Bluetooth speakers.

Those three packages held a combined total of 30 pounds of cocaine and methamphetamine, with an estimated street value of about $1.3 million, the affidavit said.

Investigators surveilled Byrne as he traveled throughout California and locally, following him as he picked up packages delivered to his brother’s home in Levittown and brought them to Flourtown Service Center, an auto repair shop he owns in Montgomery County.

They also watched as he and Kemp met up multiple times in locations throughout the Philadelphia suburbs and Delaware, exchanging drugs and money, the affidavit said. Kemp was also seen dealing some of the cocaine supplied by Byrne at his home in West Philadelphia.

Kemp later admitted these transactions to police in an interview, saying he had met Byrne through Brooks, the California gang member who helped supply the drugs.