The Dallas Police Department executed a search warrant over the weekend for an investigation involving the manufacturing and distribution of illegal narcotics in South Dallas.
Officers conducted the search in the 3000 block of Marburg Street on March 20. They discovered narcotics, multiple guns, cash, and other items related to the manufacturing and selling of illegal narcotics, as stated by DPD.
Items seized during the raid include:
- 11.3 pounds of marijuana
- 133.7 grams of THC wax
- 5.4 grams of Oxycodone tablets
- 12,471.3 grams of Promethazine
- 1,019.2 grams of THC edibles
Two suspects, 23-year-old Marcus Davis and 18-year-old Jaylen Johnson, were arrested during the investigation and have been charged with first- and second-degree felonies for Manufacturing/Delivery of a Controlled Substance and a third-degree felony for Possession of Marijuana, according to DPD.
Davis was also arrested for an unrelated charge that includes a probation violation of unlawful carrying of a weapon, resulting in him being held at the Dallas County Jail with a total bond of $206,500, according to Fox 4 KDFW.
Johnson was bonded out of jail on March 21.
The Dallas Police Department was not the only agency working on this case, as the department received assistance from the Dallas Police Place Network Investigations (PNI) Task Force, Gang Unit, SWAT, K9, Dallas Drones, and patrol, per DPD.
This investigation comes as the City of Dallas continues to struggle with a police officer shortage. Recent legislation directs the city to hire more police officers to meet a minimum requirement.
Proposition U, part of the Dallas HERO amendments, states that the city must maintain a police-to-population ratio equivalent to a force of approximately 4,000 officers. However, Dallas has failed to meet those standards.
As a result, Dallas HERO attorney Art Martinez de Vara drafted a letter to the City Council in January demanding immediate action be taken to add more police officers to the department, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Despite this letter, it remains unclear how close the city is to reaching the minimum number of officers outlined in Proposition U.
As reported on by The Dallas Express, the City of Dallas is nearing a decision regarding the next Chief of Police, having narrowed down the original list of 25 candidates to five finalists. Starting March 31, these finalists will participate in meet-and-greet sessions with council members, community leaders, law enforcement experts, and other officials. Additionally, a public session for the Dallas community to meet the candidates is scheduled for April 1 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the City Hall lobby. Tolbert is expected to make her final decision on the new police chief by the second week of April.