MCALESTER, Okla. – Authorities say 19 people have been charged in federal court after an alleged drug ring bust.
The massive drug ring was being run inside the state penitentiary in McAlester.
Agents say Irish Mob gang leaders ran one of the most dangerous drug rings in Oklahoma using cell phones smuggled into our state’s highest security prison.
Court documents show federal judges recently authorized wire taps on cell phones used by mob leaders, specifically, Richard Joseph Coker.
He goes by the name “Lucky.”
Agents were able to record conversations on his cell phone and others about drug deals.
“It’s a growing problem with cell phones in prisons,” Oklahoma Department of Corrections spokesman Alex Gerszewski said.
That’s why the state is now doing extensive regular searches with its new K9 unit at every corrections facility.
“The cell phones we’re continuing to find, and the problems that come with those, it has become a bigger priority. [The K-9 unit] will go in unannounced, do surprise searches, and get cell phones and other types of contraband out of the prisons,” Gerszewski said.
Investigators closely monitored the Irish Mob drug ring from January 2016 up until this week through tapping phone calls and doing surveillance on drug deals.
The Irish Mob is a gang that started in the prison system and is associated with the Aryan Nation.
Ties to the gang caused tight security recently in the high-profile Cathouse murder trial in Oklahoma County.
The mob is also suspected to be behind a slew of violent crimes all over the state.
Prosecutors say during this investigation, agents have been able to seize more than 100 pounds of meth, guns, and large amounts of money.
If convicted, everyone accused in this conspiracy faces up to life in federal prison.
