Philly police commissioner talks stopping drug gangs after major Kensington bust

A massive federal takedown of 33 alleged members of the Weymouth Street Drug Trafficking Organization in October was one of the biggest in years.

With the dozens arrested and this violent drug market shut down, where does the drug trade go next?

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel sat down with NBC10’s Fred Shropshire for an exclusive interview where he talked about what happens next.

Commissioner Bethel says that his teams are watching closely for any sign that the market is shifting into new neighborhoods.

He says that Kensington drives the drug activity across the city of Philadelphia which is why the work in the neighborhood has a citywide impact.

After the takedown of the Weymouth Street Drug Trafficking Organization on Oct. 24, 2025, city officials sealed alleged drug properties and moved agencies in to stabilize the block.

“We’ve kept a presence down there since the take down to ensure these men and women who are out there selling don’t return to the block,” Bethel said.

Beyond Kensington, police say that they are watching for smaller hot spots that could be forming around the city.

We asked Bethel what the first clue is that a new drug corner could be forming.

“First and foremost, the community. They are our eyes and ears,” Bethel explained.

Those tips, along with service calls, officer observations and federal intelligence all feed into a regional intelligence center.

“We sit on probably one of the best intelligence groups in the nation,” Bethel said.

Then, police deploy officers based on the data. They pinpoint places on the map and nighttime hours where and when drug activity allegedly spikes.

“From 8 p.m. to 3 a.m., that is 70, 80% of that violence is happening that time period,” according to Bethel.

Displacement is also now built into every deployment plan.

“It doesn’t benefit me to move somebody off this drug corner and put them on your drug corner,” Bethel said.

The next cases are already moving through the pipeline with police and federal agents already setting their sights on another alleged drug trafficking group.

“We’re going to work every day to address these individuals who put poison in our streets, who put our kids at harm, who cause death and destruction. We’re going to keep coming,” Bethel told NBC10.