In a decisive move against drug operations in Charlotte, member of the “Getting Money Brothers” drug trafficking organization, Kareem Hicks, was found guilty by a federal jury. Hicks, 45, faced charges of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and now confronts up to 20 years behind bars. U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, Russ Ferguson, alongside law enforcement partners, underscored the concerted efforts that led to this conviction.
With more than 50 kilograms of cocaine and crack dealt by the organization from 2023 to 2025, the arrest of Hicks points to a broader campaign to dismantle the illegal operation. Further detailed by Ferguson, four other individuals, having already pleaded guilty, await sentencing. These include Mandella Quinshawn Wolfe and his brother, Campton Conway Wolfe, charged with distribution of cocaine, alongside Whynell Jason Rodriguez and Dwight LaQuelle Hallman, both facing possession with intent to distribute charges. Running multiple drug houses, the GMB was not merely a small-time venture but a significant player in the local narcotics scene, putting the community at risk with substantial quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl, in addition to an arsenal of over 30 firearms seized by investigators, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
“This case wasn’t just about one defendant,” Ferguson remarked in a statement following the verdict, underscoring the broader implications of taking down an entire drug network. “It was about dismantling an entire drug trafficking organization that flooded our community with dangerous drugs and weapons. Our office is committed to pursuing drug traffickers from the street level to the top of the organization and working with our law enforcement partners to shut them down completely,” he said. The collaborative efforts of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the FBI, and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) indeed signal a clear intention to address drug-related criminal activity at all levels within the community, according to the same press release…