Milwaukee-area drug investigation; 12 warrants served, 19 charged | FOX6 Milwaukee

Milwaukee-area drug investigation; 12 warrants served, 19 charged

A long-term drug investigation in Milwaukee County has led to charges against 19 people, 14 of whom were arrested after a dozen search warrants were executed on Wednesday, Jan. 29.

Drug investigation

What they're saying:

The case began in 2023. On Wednesday morning, more than 200 law enforcement officers from 11 agencies executed 11 residential search warrants and one business search warrant at locations across Milwaukee County – including the city of Milwaukee, Wauwatosa, Cudahy and Brown Deer.

SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News

Fourteen people were arrested. 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.

"The common fabric is the drug dealing that is occurring between all of the individuals," West Allis Police Chief Patrick Mitchell said.

As of Wednesday, 11 of the 14 people arrested have been charged in the case:

  • Thomas Brown, 41, Milwaukee
  • Steven Gruetzmacher, 42, East Troy
  • Mohammad Mahmood, 34, Milwaukee
  • Pamela Malvick, 49, Germantown
  • Ladarius Marshall, 32, Milwaukee
  • John McKay, 25, Milwaukee
  • Koriayon McKay, 22, Milwaukee
  • Joshua Patton, 21, Wauwatosa
  • Terrion Pierce, 21, Wauwatosa
  • Todd Seidl, 47, Cudahy
  • Malik Tayor, 29, Milwaukee

Several others who were arrested have not yet been charged, but authorities said charges will be referred to the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office in the coming days. Law enforcement agencies are still looking for the other people who were charged.

FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android

It's unclear what the case against each defendant entails. The complaints are filed under seal, Milwaukee County District Attorney Kent Lovern said, because they contain information about how evidence was gathered in the case.

"The complaint will not likely be unsealed, through the duration of this process, unless for some reason the court decides to do so," he said.

Two men killed

Dig deeper:

Prosecutors said 27-year-old Valentin Santana shot and killed two men – Deontay Long and Rodney Walls – in December. Long, a former Washington High School basketball standout, had $400 and four bags of cocaine or fentanyl in his pocket.

Related

Milwaukee fatal shootings, police chase; man accused

A Milwaukee man is accused of killing two people on Monday, Dec. 23 – and leading police on a high-speed chase hours later.

What was not known at the time was that Walls, Long and Santana were just three of nearly two dozen suspects in the county-wide drug ring investigation. 

However, because of the active drug investigation, authorities said Wednesday that Santana was quickly identified as a suspect in the homicides. He was charged in a separate case with killing both men and leading police on a chase.

Multi-agency effort

The backstory:

The West Allis Police Department conducted the investigation in cooperation with the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, the Waukesha County Sheriff's Department, Washington County Sheriff's Office, Milwaukee Police Department, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and the North-Central High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program.

The South Shore SWAT, St. Francis Police Department, Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office, U.S. Marshals Service, FBI, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Germantown Police Department and Wisconsin State Patrol assisted with search and arrest operations. 

The Source: Information in this report is from the Wisconsin Department of Justice, West Allis Police Department and Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office.

Crime and Public SafetyWest AllisMilwaukeeNews