Police in Washington D.C. have confiscated $7.2m worth of drugs and guns after a year-long operation in which they posed as a fake rap label.
Undercover officers in conjuction with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms created ‘Manic Enterprises’ out of a studio in northwest Washington and even signed a fake rapper, ‘Richie Valdez’.
Posing as music industry figures, officers went about making contacts in various illegal operations, stockpiling weapons and narcotics in the name of the record label.
“This was an extremely dangerous operation,” D.C. police chief Cathy Lainer told AllHipHop. “These suspects had bragged about other violent crimes they had committed and had no qualms about killing police officers, guards and other innocent people.”
The sting, which began in November 2010, brought in 24lbs of marijuana, heroin and ecstasy, 21lbs of cocaine, 1.25 gallons of PCP, 29 assault weapons and 161 firearms – including a rocket launcher.
Manic Enterprises fake studio was fitted with covert recording equipment and captured 70 suspects implicating themselves in previous or future crimes.
In November the FBI released a report revealing hiphop crews and record labels were frequently being used as cover for criminal activities, claiming the Insane Clown Posse’s ‘juggalo’ fanbase had formed a hybrid group that posed a threat to American interests.
