Acting United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Louis Daniel Morales a/k/a “Trouble,” 29, of Reading, PA, was sentenced to 15 years in prison, five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $2,000 fine by United States District Judge Edward G. Smith for distributing large quantities of methamphetamine and other controlled substances in the Reading, PA area in 2019.
Morales, a self-identified member of the “Nine Trey Gangsters” sect of the Bloods gang and an internet rap artist known as “Trouble” or “King Troub93,” was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pennsylvania State Police as part of a conspiracy which was responsible for trafficking methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine in and around Berks County.
October 2020, the Morales pleaded guilty to three felony counts of manufacture, possession and distribution of a controlled substance, stemming from the sale of more than 800 grams of methamphetamine and an additional quantity of heroin to an undercover Pennsylvania State Police Trooper on three separate occasions between May and June 2019.
For approximately three months, the FBI and State Police utilized a federal wiretap to intercept conversations between the Morales, drug suppliers, and customers, revealing that Morales had access to a seemingly endless supply of methamphetamine through several sources.
The recorded conversations further detailed that Morales worked alongside his mother, who trafficked in marijuana, and other individuals with ties to a drug cartel in Mexico.
Morales and his codefendants were arrested in September 2019, along with several other defendants charged elsewhere who were also under investigation for similar conduct involving methamphetamine distribution in Reading.
“Morales and his co-conspirators pumped huge quantities of deadly, addictive drugs into Reading and its surrounding communities,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Williams. “Drug trafficking destroys lives and neighborhoods. Our Office is determined to protect the communities impacted by drug trafficking by investigating and convicting the criminals responsible for it.”
“Drug traffickers know how much harm their product does to people’s lives and communities. They simply don’t care,” said Michael J. Driscoll, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “Putting Louis Morales out of business and behind bars is a win for folks in the Reading area. Bottom line: the FBI and our partners will never cede our cities to drug pushers and gang members.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pennsylvania State Police, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Justin Ashenfelter.
