13th man charged in drug ring linked to ATF officer being shot

Federal prosecutors announced new charges this week and named a 13th defendant linked to a far-reaching narcotics investigation into a Hill District-based street gang linked to the shooting of a federal agent last year.

Jeremiah Irving, 32, of New Castle is the latest suspect indicted on charges of participating in a drug ring run by the so-called “11 Hunnit” gang, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Stephen R. Kauffman.

The 11 Hunnit gang allegedly was led by Jimmy Wopo, a rapper who was killed in June 2018. Wopo’s real name was Travon Smart.

Most of the other dozen men charged in the case were arrested following a raid and seizure of large amounts of cocaine, crack cocaine and illegal guns at a residence along Marion Street in Pittsburgh’s Uptown neighborhood on June 18, 2020.

During the bust, an agent with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was shot. The officer, who was not named, later recovered, according to the FBI.

Two of the men charged, Charles King and Giles Davis, already have pleaded guilty for their roles in the drug ring that sold to addicts across Western Pennsylvania, including in Westmoreland County, according to U.S. Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Margaret Philbin.

A third, Jeffrey Brown of Pittsburgh, is expected to enter a guilty plea in the near future, court records indicate.

RELATED: ATF agent shot in Pittsburgh; suspect in custody

The remaining nine defendants are:

Westmoreland County

• Donald Epps, 66, Arnold

• Michael Jones, 70, Monessen

Allegheny County

• Gerald Bogan Jr., 41, Pittsburgh

• Michael Glenn, 58, Pittsburgh

• Timothy Harris, 58, Pittsburgh

• Ivan Upsher, 59, Pittsburgh

• Gary Wilkinson, 58, Pittsburgh

• Dion Williams, 45, Pittsburgh

Lawrence County

• Michael Turner, 49, Wampum.

Each is charged with conspiring to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine between November 2019 and June 2020.

If convicted, they could be sentenced to up to 10 years to life in prison and a fine up to $10 million.

Harris faces an additional charge of possession and conspiring to distribute 28 grams or more of crack cocaine from November 20219 to February 2020.

Epps and Glenn also were indicted for illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, which carries an additional sentence of a minimum of 15 years to life in prison.

The investigation leading up to the arrests included wiretaps and electronic surveillance that began in January 2020, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

An indictment unsealed two months after Wopo’s death accused the gang of killing at least three rival gang members dating back to 2015.

RELATED: Associate of 11 Hunnit gang gets 5 years for dealing crack cocaine