NEWS RELEASE
UNITED STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
WESTERN DISTRICT OF VIRGINIA
John L. Brownlee United States Attorney Brian McGinn Public Affairs Specialist |
BB&T Building 310 1st Street, S.W., Room 906 Roanoke, Virginia 24011 (540) 857-2974 FAX (540) 857-2179 |
April 29, 2008
CARTWRIGHT’S RECREATIONAL CENTER IN WINCHESTER FORFEITED TO UNITED STATES AS FOCAL POINT OF CRACK COCAINE DISTRIBUTION
United States Attorney John L. Brownlee announced today that 502 and 504 North Kent Street in Winchester, Virginia, known locally as Cartwright’s Recreation Center, have been forfeited to the United States following a civil forfeiture action filed in United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Charlottesville.
The building had been the prime location used for the distribution of crack cocaine by a large-scale, Winchester area, crack cocaine distribution ring. Twenty-eight members of the drug distribution conspiracy were indicted in 2006 following a long investigation into an area in the northern section of Winchester City, known as the “Block,” where crack cocaine distribution was prevalent. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph Mott prosecuted the drug cases and Assistant United States Attorney Sharon Burnham completed the forfeiture of Cartwright’s Recreation Center.
“For years, this building was a place that crack cocaine dealers and crack cocaine users frequented in order to sell, store and use illegal drugs,” United States Attorney John Brownlee said today. “In connection with an already successful criminal prosecution of many of the drug dealers involved in this intricate conspiracy, this civil judgement assures the community that this building will never again be a haven for crack cocaine dealers or users.”
The forfeiture of Cartwright’s Recreation Center began in September 2006 when 28 people were indicted on cocaine charges after the investigation into widespread crack cocaine distribution ring in the Winchester area. Federal law provides that property used to facilitate drug trafficking can be forfeited to the United States unless the owner of the property did not know of the illegal activity, or upon learning of the illegal activity, did all that reasonably could be expected under the circumstances to stop the illegal activity.
The investigation revealed that Cartwright’s Recreation Center, owned by Allen Cartwright, and the area around the center in the northern section of Winchester City known at the “Block,” were the central locations that drug dealers distributing cocaine and crack cocaine in the Winchester area frequently used as a place to deal, store and use crack cocaine.
Tony Cartwright, the owner’s son, would allow members of the drug distribution organization to use the premises to store and sell crack cocaine. Tony Cartwright pleaded guilty to one count of knowingly managing a place and making it available for use as a place for distributing cocaine. He was sentenced to 41 months imprisonment on August 13, 2007. His father Allen Cartwright has denied involvement in the activities occurring at Cartwright’s Recreation Center, but has agreed to the forfeiture of the property to the United States.
According to the civil complaint and affidavit filed against Cartwright’s Recreation Center, the property facilitated drug trafficking in the area since 1992 and cites 94 reported drug offenses in and around the property between January 2003 and July 2006. On seven different occasions during that time period, controlled purchases of cocaine were made inside the building by law enforcement officers.
On February 10, 2006, law enforcement officials received information that drugs were being sold in and around Cartwright’s Recreation Center. During the execution of a search warrant on that location, investigators seized more than five grams of crack cocaine that was sitting in plain sight inside Cartwright’s Recreation Center. Additional crack cocaine was found hidden in various other locations throughout the Cartwright’s property. The criminal investigation ultimately revealed that large amounts of cocaine and crack cocaine were being supplied to the Winchester area from a variety of sources in southeast Florida.
The investigation of the case was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Northwest Virginia Regional Drug Task Force, which includes The Winchester Police Department, the Frederick County Sheriff’s Department, the Clarke County Sheriff’s Department, the Warren County Sheriff’s Department, the Town of Front Royal Police Department, the Shenandoah County Sheriff’s Department, the Page County Sheriff’s Department and the Virginia State Police. The St. Lucie County, Florida Sheriff’s Department’s Special Investigations Unit, and the Ft. Pierce, Florida Police Department’s Crime Suppression Unit and Gang Analyst also assisted in the investigation.