Philadelphia's Kensington district is widely regarded as being among the country's worst open-air drug markets, where violence and overdoses are a common feature.

Yet in a major victory for the Trump administration, FBI Director Kash Patel announced late last week that some of the area’s most prominent drug dealers have been arrested. 

Patel hails "one of the largest" gang takedowns

According to Breitbart, Patel made the announcement while speaking alongside local law enforcement officials at a press conference.

"Everyone in America should be looking at this takedown," the FBI director was quoted as telling a group of reporters this past Friday.

"This takedown is how you safeguard cities from coast to coast… You go after the organizations that are inflicting pain across America in each and every city," he insisted.

"This is one of the largest and most impressive gang takedowns I’ve ever seen. We have permanently removed a drug trafficking organization off the streets of Philadelphia," Patel stressed.

Indictments brought against 33 alleged traffickers

Breitbart noted how Patel went on to discuss indictments which have been brought against 33 members of what he referred to as the "Weymouth Street Drug Trafficking Organization."

The website also pointed out how some 24 suspects were taken into custody on Friday following 11 separate raids, with one individual remaining at large.

While most of the arrests took place within the Kensington area, raids were also conducted in New Jersey, Delaware, and even Puerto Rico.

David Metcalf serves as United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and he alleged that the drug trafficking organization used murder and other forms of violence to maintain control.

“It’s a massive drug-trafficking conspiracy spanning nearly a decade, the largest federal indictment this century brought by our district. We targeted it like a precision missile at Kensington’s epicenter," Metcalf asserted.

Dan Bongino says Philadelphians "deserve safe and secure streets"

Meanwhile, Breitbart observed that Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino was quick to tout the raids and arrests in a social media post on Saturday.

The citizens of Philadelphia deserve safe and secure streets.
The Kensington drug market has plagued the city for far too long. Those days are OVER.
When President Trump told us to “go get em,” he wasn’t kidding. And neither were we. https://t.co/E5BMA78Krh

— Dan Bongino (@FBIDDBongino) October 24, 2025

"The citizens of Philadelphia deserve safe and secure streets," Bongino declared. "The Kensington drug market has plagued the city for far too long. Those days are OVER. When President Trump told us to 'go get em,' he wasn’t kidding. And neither were we."