Sheriff: Nearly a dozen gang members tied to multiple shootings arrested in Baton Rouge drug bust, 1 at-large
The East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office (EBRSO) says during April and May 2025, its Gang Intelligence and Enforcement Unit started an extensive investigation into a criminal street gang known as the 'Vultures.'
According to EBRSO, members of the 'Vultures' are suspected of being responsible for numerous shootings in and around the Baton Rouge area.
Coroner identifies man killed in Baton Rouge shooting
Agents identified several members and several associates of the group, collecting hundreds of hours of surveillance on the gang. Authorities then determined that the gang was involved in a large-scale marijuana distribution operation.
While under investigation, members of the gang were involved in a police chase in Texas. During the chase, the sheriff's office says the gang members threw a pistol that had a machine gun conversion device, called a 'switch,' out of the window. Other gang members were able to retrieve the gun but were stopped and arrested once they arrived back in Baton Rouge. Four members were arrested in connection with the incident and later released on bond.
Deputies identified 11 residences that the gang used to facilitate their marijuana trafficking operation. Agents secured search warrants for the locations, as well as several banks used by the gang to hide their money.
On June 2, 2025, with help from multiple divisions and agencies, agents executed warrants at the following locations:
3rd Street
Hammond Manor Drive
Apartment Court
Joor Road
68th Avenue
Stoneview Avenue
73rd Avenue (P&P Compliance Check)
Pasadena Drive (P&P Compliance Check)
Grand Settlement Boulevard
Lockhaven Avenue
La Margie Avenue
In addition, Louisiana Probation and Parole performed compliance checks at two gang member residences.
The following items, including drugs, guns, and cash, were seized, and several arrests were made as a result of the multi-agency investigation:
36.14 pounds of marijuana
78 dosage units of Tramadol
32 dosage units of amphetamine
15 dosage units of Lorazepam
1 dosage unit of Alprazolam
1 dosage unit of Oxycodone
Digital scales
$44,648 in currency
Seized Firearms
Springfield Armory 9mm handgun
Glock 19 9mm handgun
S&W 5.56 rifle
Glock 31 .357 magnum handgun
(3) Taurus 9mm handguns
Glock 23 .40 caliber handgun
Glock 26 9mm handgun
Davis Industries .380 handgun
SAR 9mm handgun
S&W 9mm handgun
S&W .38 special revolver
(3) Palmetto Arms 5.56 rifles
Glock MCD (fully automatic switch)
Broderick Butler, 25
Conspiracy to Distribute Schedule I Narcotics (Affidavit Warrant)
PWITD Schedule I Narcotics
Possession of Schedule II Narcotics
Resisting an Officer
Criminal Street Gang
Money Laundering
Tampering and Fabricating (Felony warrant, Texas)
Prohibited Weapon (Felony warrant, Texas)
Cornell Brown, 24
Conspiracy to Distribute Schedule I Narcotics (Affidavit Warrant)
PWITD Schedule I Narcotics
Illegal Carrying of a Firearm with Drugs
Illegal Use of a Machine Gun
Criminal Street Gang
Tampering and Fabricating (Felony warrant, Texas)
Prohibited Weapon (Felony warrant, Texas)
Delton Joseph, 25
Conspiracy to Distribute Schedule I Narcotics (Affidavit Warrant)
Violation of a Protective Order (Affidavit Warrant)
Illegal Possession of a Firearm by Person Convicted of Domestic Abuse Battery (Affidavit Warrant)
PWITD Schedule I Narcotics
Illegal Carrying of a Firearm with Drugs
Resisting an Officer
Criminal Street Gang
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
Tampering and Fabricating (Felony warrant, Texas)
Prohibited Weapon (Felony warrant, Texas)
Xavier Lewis, 28
Conspiracy to Distribute Schedule I Narcotics (Affidavit Warrant)
PWITD Schedule I Narcotics
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
Criminal Street Gang
Reco Andrews, 47 *At-Large*
Conspiracy to Distribute Schedule I Narcotics (Affidavit Warrant)
Criminal Street Gang
Chandris Ferguson, 45
Conspiracy to Distribute Schedule I Narcotics (Affidavit Warrant)
PWITD Schedule I Narcotics
Illegal Carrying of a Firearm with Drugs
Criminal Street Gang
Gervea Ferguson, 27 *Already in East Baton Rouge Parish Prison*
Conspiracy to Distribute Schedule I Narcotics (Affidavit Warrant)
Larry Hardesty, 23
Conspiracy to Distribute Schedule I Narcotics
PWITD Schedule I Narcotics
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
Criminal Street Gang
Resisting an Officer
Valmie Brown, 59
PWITD Schedule I Narcotics
PWITD Schedule II Narcotics
PWITD Schedule IV Narcotics (2 counts)
Illegal Carrying of a Firearm with Drugs
Arionne Tackno, 23
PWITD Schedule I Narcotics
PWITD Schedule II Narcotics
PWITD Schedule IV Narcotics (2 counts)
Delvin Andrews, 23
PWITD Counterfeit Drugs
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
Jamaya Edwards, 19
PWITD Schedule I Narcotics
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
Keondre Young, 22
Illegal Carrying of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon
Keymond Sandford, 25 *In West Baton Rouge Jail*
Tampering and Fabricating (Felony warrant, Texas)
Prohibited Weapon (Felony warrant, Texas)
'Disgusting abomination': Elon Musk tears into Trump megabill
Judge extends pause of order invalidating Trump's tariffs
Man tried to get witness against him deported by writing letters threatening Trump: Prosecutors
Trump DOJ reviewing Biden pardons
Gov. Landry to talk about hurricane preparedness
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Voter registration in Louisiana: Key dates, details before October election
BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — People across Louisiana are encouraged to register to vote during Voter Registration Week from Aug. 25-29 before the October election. 'The first step to participating in the electoral process is registering to vote. It's never been easier to register or update your registration information in Louisiana–any citizen with a Louisiana license or ID can register online in a matter of minutes at Secretary of State Nancy Landry said. Deadlines before the Oct. 11 election: Deadline to register to vote in person or by mail: Wednesday, Sept. 10. Deadline to register to vote using the GeauxVote Online Registration System: Saturday, Sept. 20. Louisiana absentee voting envelopes have new design Landry outlines requirements to register and vote in Louisiana: Be a U.S. citizen. Be at least 17 years old to register and 18 years old before the next election. A person can be 16 years old if registering in person at the Registrar of Voters Office or at the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles. Not be under an order of imprisonment for conviction of a felony, or if under an order, not have been incarcerated under the order within the last five years, and not be under an order of imprisonment related to a felony conviction for election fraud or any other election offenses under the law. Not be under a judgment of full interdiction for mental incompetence or partial interdiction with suspension of voting rights. Be a resident of Louisiana and the parish where registration and voting are done. Apply at least 20 days before an election if registering online or 30 days before an election if registering in person or by mail. Registration can be completed online 24/7 with a valid Louisiana driver's license or special ID card. To register in person, residents can go to their parish Registrar of Voters Office when applying for or renewing a driver's license or when getting services at public assistance agencies and Armed Forces recruitment offices. Louisiana's search for new voting system continues: 6 public demos planned Latest News Publix shoppers petition to bring back 'hurricane cakes': Why were they discontinued? Democrats across US rip Texas House passage of new congressional lines James Dobson, founder of conservative ministry Focus on the Family, dies at 89 Menendez brothers' parole hearings set to begin White House spokesperson leaving for K Street firm Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
CT man who sold oxycodone prescribed to someone else gets three years in federal prison
A Hartford man has been sentenced to three years in federal prison for selling oxycodone that was prescribed to another person. Angel Benitez, 38, faced sentencing on Wednesday in federal court in Hartford where U.S. District Judge Vernon D. Oliver ordered that his prison term be followed by three years of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut. Federal officials said Benitez was implicated during an investigation that was conducted by the DEA New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad. Investigators reportedly found Benitez and an unnamed co-conspirator were illegally selling oxycodone pills that were prescribed to the conspirator. In August and September 2024, investigators allegedly made controlled purchases of oxycodone pills from both individuals. Benitez was arrested on Nov 6, 2024, after authorities searched his residence and reported finding a Smith and Wesson .40 caliber semiautomatic pistol, which had been reported stolen in West Hartford. Officials noted that his criminal history includes convictions on state level assault, burglary, and larceny charges, which disqualify him from having a firearm. Benitez, who has been detained since his arrest, took a plea deal on March 26, pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, oxycodone, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump admin asks SCOTUS to ban weed users from owing guns: Where do Oklahoma laws stand?
The Trump administration's lawyers want the Supreme Court to make it official that regular weed smokers, as well as other drug users, should not be allowed to own firearms. An appeals court has said a federal law making it a crime for drug users to have a gun can't be used against someone based solely on their past drug use. In Oklahoma, there are protections for both firearm owners and marijuana users set in place that could work against this legislation, should the Supreme Court make a decision. Here's what to know in the state. Justice Department says gun violence goes down when sober The U.S. Justice Department is appealing four cases to the Supreme Court, asking the justices to focus on one involving a dual citizen of the United States and Pakistan who was charged with unlawfully owning a Glock pistol because he regularly smoked marijuana. A New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that, in the case history and tradition support 'some limits on a presently intoxicated person's right to carry a weapon,' the appeals court said, 'they do not support disarming a sober person based solely on past substance usage.' The DOJ disagrees with this, citing laws from the country's founding that restrict the rights of habitual drinkers, even when sober. 'And for about as long as legislatures have regulated drugs, they have prohibited the possession of arms by drug users and addicts — not just by persons under the influence of drugs,' they wrote. What are Oklahoma's gun and marijuana laws? It has been codified in Oklahoma that a resident can't be denied 'the right to own, purchase or possess a firearm, ammunition or accessories' because they are a medical marijuana patient or caregiver. The statute, which was passed in 2019, was further defined with the Oklahoma Self-Defense Act. However, the statute further reads that 'no state or local agency, municipal or county governing authority shall restrict, revoke, suspend or otherwise infringe upon the right of a person to own, purchase or possess a firearm, ammunition, or firearm accessories or any related firearms license.' This means that while no local level can override Oklahoma's state laws, the federal level can decide. Depending on their decision, the state laws may be affected. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: SCOTUS could ban gun rights for pot users: Where do Oklahoma laws stand? Solve the daily Crossword
