“Operation Son Sun” investigation concludes with convictions of leaders of one of Delaware’s largest heroin trafficking organizations.

Joined by the local and federal law enforcement agencies who successfully worked together to bring down one of the largest heroin trafficking organizations in Delaware history, Attorney General Matt Denn announced Thursday that the prosecutions of “Operation Son Sun” defendants had concluded with guilty adjudications for 46 defendants and multiple-decade sentences for the leaders of the organization.

The successful prosecutions were highlighted by the recent sentencings of Andrew “Rock” Lloyd, 32, of Wilmington and Antoine “Flock” Miller, 35, of Wilmington.  Lloyd led one of the largest heroin trafficking organizations in Delaware history before it was shut down in December 2014, after a multi-agency investigation. Known as “Operation Son Sun,” the investigation included the Delaware Department of Justice, the Drug Enforcement Administration-Wilmington Office (DEA), the Wilmington Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the New Castle County Police Department, the Division of Probation and Parole, the Newark Police Department, and the Delaware State Police.

The final indictment charging 46 people was handed down on December 22, 2014.  One year later, all 46 persons indicted have pled guilty or been convicted of criminal offenses.  Lloyd was sentenced to 25 years in prison, followed by probation for charges of organized crime and racketeering, six counts of Tier Five heroin possession, six counts of Tier Four drug dealing heroin, drug dealing with an aggravating factor, Tier One drug possession with an aggravating factor, possession of drug paraphernalia, and eight counts of second degree conspiracy.  Miller was sentenced to 20 years in prison followed by probation for charges of organized crime and racketeering, Tier Five heroin possession, possession of drug paraphernalia, and two counts of second degree conspiracy.

“The successful resolutions to these cases sends a strong message that we will seek to prosecute not just the street-level dealers, but the organizational heads of drug-dealing operations in our state,” said Attorney General Matt Denn. “These racketeering cases are notoriously hard to put together and present, and the fact that we were able to get convictions is in large part a credit to the front-line law enforcement work that was done.”

“The cases brought against this criminal enterprise demonstrates the strength of law enforcement’s dedication to stopping dangerous criminals in New Castle County.  This isn’t the end game for the FBI or our law enforcement partners.  We are continuing to go after the criminals who are creating violence and fear in our communities,” said Kevin Perkins, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Delaware.

“Andrew Lloyd and his associates were responsible for distributing large amounts of heroin and crack cocaine in Wilmington, Delaware. They destroyed numerous lives as a result of their drug-trafficking activities and were responsible for numerous shootings in furtherance of these same activities,” said Gary Tuggle, the Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Philadelphia Field Division.  “Joint investigations such as this, where we worked with our local, state, and federal law enforcement counterparts on a case that leads to this many arrests, drug, and firearms seizures has resulted in a significant increase in the quality of life for the residents of Wilmington.”

“Our hope is that the communities impacted by these folks are safer communities today because they were arrested and successfully prosecuted,” said Col. Nathaniel McQueen, Superintendent of the Delaware State Police. “It again shows what can be done when we all work together, and the folks that benefit from our working together are those impacted communities that we serve every day.”

“This operation was a multi-agency effort to combat drug sales throughout the state and the many communities within New Castle County,” said Col. Elmer Setting, Chief of the New Castle County Police. “The New Castle County Police were glad to assist in this operation with all of our resources needed to successfully put these individuals out of the drug sales business. This is empirical evidence of how all police agencies in the state can work together to accomplish a similar goal.”

“We continue to aggressively address crime through a multi-faceted approach including working together with local, State, and federal agencies to arrest and prosecute those individuals who are committing violent crimes in our city,” said Wilmington Police Chief Bobby Cummings

“We appreciate the cooperation and partnership from the other law enforcement agencies that took part in this investigation, and we will continue our collaborative efforts to arrest and prosecute those who commit senseless acts of violence,” Denn said. “From the DOJ, I want to thank and commend Deputy Attorneys General Mark Denney, Julie Finocchiaro, Caterina Gatto, and John S. Taylor who handled the cases against all of the co-defendants. The prosecutors had a tremendous support team in paralegal Stefania Iannocco, administrative assistants Shannon Daniels, Tonya Kinsey, and Evelyn Davis and case processing unit members Diane Madric, Sandra Colicchio and Jeanne Kenney. I also want to recognize Kathy Jennings, our State Prosecutor, and Joe Grubb, the New Castle County Prosecutor, for the roles they played as well in these cases.”

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