Woman charged in Kensington fentanyl, weapons bust: DA
PHILADELPHIA - Prosecutors in Philadelphia announced charges against a woman accused of peddling fentanyl and other narcotics in Kensington.
Jada Williams, 21, was arrested following a drug investigation that began in January, District Attorney Larry Krasner told reporters Thursday.
Prosecutors say authorities made at least three undercover buys from Williams, which led police to search a home on the 3100 block of Kensington Avenue.
Investigators found over 1,000 packets of fentanyl at the property, along with crack cocaine, drug paraphernalia and two guns with a plastic baggie of ammunition.
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Supervisor of the Dangerous Drugs Unit, Paul Reddel, told reporters the drugs have an estimated street value of $5-$10 per packet.
"This person is clearly not feeding their own habits, they're feeding other drug dealers," Reddel said. "I would put this as a person who I wouldn't say is managing a whole block, but you're clearly participating with other dealers to do distribution in the neighborhood."
According to authorities, Williams was arrested May 14. She is facing multiple charges of Manufacture, Delivery, or Possession with Intent to Manufacture or Deliver, Conspiracy, among other related charges.
Kensington is considered by many to be one of the country's largest open-air drug markets, and an epicenter of the ongoing opioid epidemic.
Mayor Cherrell Parker made it a campaign promise to revive the embattled section of the city, and recently helped orchestrate a clean-up of Kensington Avenue.
Nearly 60 people accepted outreach services, including housing, offered by the city during the clean-up last week.