Thirty Charged in Takedown of Gang-Associated Crack Cocaine Street Market

SAN DIEGO – A federal grand jury indictment was unsealed today charging 30 alleged West Coast Crips gang members and associates with distributing large amounts of cocaine base to customers at an open-air crack market on Imperial Avenue about a mile and a half east of Petco Park. In a coordinated takedown this morning, more than 350 members of the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force – Gang Group, plus federal, state, and local law enforcement officials executed 21 search warrants on homes and vehicles in San Diego and arrested 28 defendants. As of 1 p.m, two defendants were still being sought. The investigation began in 2024 and focused on West Coast Crips (WCC) gang members suspected of drug trafficking and committing acts of violence in San Diego at and near the Crips-controlled outdoor drug market located at 2900 Imperial Avenue, pictured below. According to court documents, the market functioned as both a retail outlet and a wholesale hub, supplying users directly while also feeding a network of low-level dealers who spread across East Village, downtown, Logan Heights, Sherman Heights, and beyond to redistribute crack cocaine. Investigators believe thousands of customers repeatedly purchased cocaine base at the Imperial Avenue Crack Market in 2025. Those customers would approach Crips members staffing the market and buy cocaine base with cash. Investigators estimate that about 20 pounds of cocaine - with an estimated street value of at least $550,000 - were sold at the Imperial Avenue Crack Market weekly. Including seizures today and throughout this investigation, authorities have confiscated more than 11 pounds of cocaine; more than $14,000 in U.S. currency; two handguns and a money counting device. According to wiretapped conversations between coconspirators, defendants frequently sold out their inventory and would then look to replenish their supply. For most of the investigation, a surveillance camera was trained on the Imperial Avenue Crack Market, capturing daily activity consistent with the sale of cocaine base, cocaine base, commonly known as crack cocaine. According to court documents, the conspirators fell into three categories based on their roles: (1) street-level dealers who sold crack cocaine at the Imperial Avenue Crack Market; (2) suppliers who provided powder cocaine to be converted into crack cocaine for sale at the market; and (3) purchasers who bought crack cocaine at the market for redistribution elsewhere, including in San Diego's East Village neighborhood near Petco Park. Investigators also identified associated gang activity occurring at or near the Imperial Avenue Crack Market. For example, WCC members celebrate “set day,” a gang holiday, every year on or around March 30 in recognition of their claim of the 30th Street corridor as WCC territory. On the evening of March 30, 2025, as captured in the photo above, WCC members and associates congregated at and around the Imperial Avenue Crack Market, effectively shutting off traffic through the area, and defied commands from San Diego Police Department officers to disperse. The Imperial Avenue Crack Market was also a backdrop for violence. In one instance, on the evening of January 9, 2026, a car drove up to, and stopped in front of, the Imperial Avenue Crack Market. An occupant got out of the car and fired four or five gunshots at people congregating near the market, striking at least two. The occupant then returned to the car, which sped away. Many of the defendants charged in the conspiracy have significant criminal histories, underscoring how the market became a haven for repeat offenders. At least 22 of the defendants have prior felony convictions, mostly for drug sales. Five defendants are presently subject to some form of post-conviction supervision. Rynell Baker, one of the alleged leaders of the Crack Market conspiracy, was convicted of first-degree murder in 1994, paroled in 2021, and discharged from parole in 2022. Four of the defendants— Elton Wilson, Roshawn Walls, Shawn King, and Alejandro McFadden—have prior federal convictions that qualify as serious drug felonies. At least three others also have prior federal criminal convictions—Darnell Butler and Jerry Davis (RICO conspiracy), and Kendall Evans (Felon in Possession of Ammunition). Cash, cocaine base, and marijuana found in defendant Grady’s car after he was arrested by police Name Age City Elton Wilson 58 San Diego Rynell Baker 55 San Diego Eric Grady 55 San Diego Lorenzo Miller 43 San Diego FUGITIVE Elmer Salgado-Pineda 25 National City Julio Rangel 38 San Diego Julio Rangel Jr. 19 San Diego Felipe Benitez 33 San Diego Michael Pollard 46 San Diego Darnell Butler 39 San Diego FUGITIVE Stephanie Singleton 57 San Diego Derrick Taylor 60 San Diego James Wright 76 San Diego Leray Shine 52 San Diego Roshawn Maurice Walls 56 San Diego Aundray Eatmon 48 San Diego Kirk Patterson 47 San Diego Brandon Antwaun Jones 39 San Diego Shawn Monique King 56 San Diego Anthony Suffern 65 San Diego Patrick Davis 51 San Diego Larry Haynes 64 San Diego Nancy McSwain 58 San Diego Kendall Evans 42 San Diego Jerry Davis 38 San Diego Wendy Williamson 57 San Diego Alejandro McFadden 55 San Diego Norman Martin 58 San Diego SUMMARY OF CHARGES Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine and Cocaine Base, in violation of Title 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1), 841 (b) (1) (ii), 841 (b) (1) (iii) Maximum Penalty: Life in prison; Mandatory Minimum: Ten years in prison; $10 million fine