Fifteen people are facing charges connected to a transnational drug trafficking organization distributing methamphetamine and gamma-butyrolactone across the East Coast.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro announced the 12-count indictment on Wednesday, the day after four of the alleged traffickers were arrested and search warrants were executed across D.C. and Pennsylvania.
Officials identified the four men as Joseph Macias, 47; Jason Frasher, 52; and Peter Rothberg, 42, all from D.C., as well as Rassoul Martin-Wilson, aka “Duce” and “Deuce,” 40, from Philadelphia.
The additional 11 defendants were charged and arrested in late April and early May, with eight remaining detained.
“Since my appointment as U.S. Attorney, my office, alongside the Homeland Security Task Force, has seized more than 1,800 pounds of meth,” Pirro said in a statement. “To those flooding our communities with deadly drugs: we will find you, dismantle your operation, and put you behind bars.”
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Drugs seized during a transnational drug trafficking bust. (Provided by U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Columbia) -
Recovered trafficked drugs on a scale. (Provided by U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Columbia) -
Large amounts of narcotics seized in a drug bust. (Provided by U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Columbia)
During Tuesday’s takedown operation, law enforcement found around 13 pounds of methamphetamine, about 1.5 pounds of GBL, ecstasy pills, and additional narcotics, and more than $16,000 in cash, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Through the entire investigation, just under 200 pounds of methamphetamine, more than 1,700 pounds of GBL, and more than 125 pounds of ketamine have been confiscated.
While the methamphetamine reportedly came from California, the GBL originated from South Korea, and the United States worked with South Korean law enforcement to disrupt the supply chain, resulting in authorities arresting five South Korean nationals. In September 2025, around 1.5 metric tons of GBL were seized, making it the largest domestic seizure of a controlled substance ever recorded in South Korea, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The four latest arrestees were charged with conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine and 50 grams or more of pure methamphetamine, as well as additional drug charges, according to court documents.
On Tuesday, Martin-Wilson was ordered to be detained in Pennsylvania while awaiting trial. The three D.C. defendants — Macias, Frasher, and Rothberg — are each set for their initial appearances on Wednesday, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
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“These were, relatively speaking, well-educated individuals trafficking massive amounts of dangerous narcotics in our nation’s capital,” Pirro said at a press conference on Wednesday.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia’s Office for comment.