Milwaukee-area drug investigation; 7 more make court appearances
More in court for multi-agency drug case
A Milwaukee-area drug ring investigation led to the arrests of 11 people earlier this week. While one person had their charges dismissed, all the others have now made their initial court appearances.
MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee-area drug ring investigation led to the arrests of 11 people earlier this week. While one person had their charges dismissed, all the others have now made their initial court appearances.
Drug investigation
The backstory:
West Allis police started the investigation into "Free Gram Enterprises" back in June 2023. On the morning of Jan. 29, authorities executed 12 search warrants and arrested suspects across Milwaukee County.
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Approximately one kilogram of cocaine, multiple ounces of fentanyl and 12 guns were recovered. One of the guns had a modified switch, making it fully automatic. A 3D printer was found in one of the homes, along with a ghost gun.
Items seized in drug investigation (Courtesy: WAPD)
In court
What we know:
Seven people walked into court on Friday to face varying levels of charges – all related to drugs and the Free Gram Enterprises drug trafficking group. Four men appeared in court the previous day.
Steven Gruetzmacher, Ladarius Marshall, Malik Taylor, Todd Seidl, John McKay, Terrion Pierce and Pamela Malvick made their initial court appearances on Friday.
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Deontay Long, a former Washington High School basketball standout, was shot and killed in December. At the time, investigators had wiretapped Long and John McKay's cellphones as part of the investigation.
Prosecutors said Valentin Santana pulled the trigger, killing Long and Rodney Walls. He's not charged in connection to the drug case, but was named as a suspect.
The other defendants who appeared in court on Friday were either caught up in the wiretaps, alleged drug users, sellers, or both, according to prosecutors.
Milwaukee-area drug investigation; 4 of 19 accused appear in court
Prosecutors said a group called "Free Gram Enterprises" was involved in the sale of heroin, fentanyl, cocaine and meth throughout Milwaukee County.
A judge dismissed the drug possession charges against Malvick, a Germantown woman who was initially among those charged. A defense motion argued there was no probable cause.
What we don't know:
It's unclear exactly what the case entails. The 117-page criminal complaint is sealed.
What's next:
All the defendants who made initial appearances have preliminary hearings set for next week.
Not everyone charged in the case was taken into custody on Wednesday; authorities continue to look for those people.
The Source: Information in this report is from the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office, Wisconsin Circuit Court and FOX6 News coverage.