DOVER, Del.- Dover police on Thursday announced the arrests of more than 50 people as the result of "Operation Rise-N-Shyne, a multi-jurisdictional investigation involving illegal gang activity that included large scale distribution of drugs.
This operation was conducted by the Dover Police and Delaware State Police Departments, the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, Drug Enforcement Administration, Delaware Department of Correction Probation and Parole, United States Marshal Service, The Delaware Department of Justice, and the United State's Attorney's Office.
"While responding to the surge in violence, within and surrounding the city of Dover last winter, it became clear to our investigative units there was a bigger picture coming into focus," said Chief Tom Johnson today during the press conference.
Police said Operation Rise-N-Shyne began as a result of information obtained during arrests in Dover early in 2020. In response to an increase in violent crime, the Dover Police Department partnered with Delaware State Police to address criminal activity in the Dover region. Police said that information obtained during those investigations and arrests led to law enforcement learning that Marquise Mack was supplying large amounts of ecstasy from the Atlanta, Ga., area to Kent County, Del. The operation began in June of 2020 and lasted through mid-November when a multi-agency warrant roundup was completed.
Operation Rise-N-Shyne led to more than 50 arrests in Delaware, Maryland, Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia. Authorities said that in addition to the arrests, law enforcement seized 28 firearms, 15,000+ doses of ecstasy, 72 grams of MDMA powder, 12.8 grams of methamphetamine, 3.675 grams of Heroin, and more than $22,000 in drug proceeds. The arrests and seizures also impacted four local criminal street gangs in Dover and the surrounding area. Evidence and information gathered during the operation has been connected to multiple cases involving violent crimes in the Dover region, police said.
"If you look around at a lot of the gun violence, and a lot of the violence that is here, it is not direct Dover citizens that are doing it, it's coming in from elsewhere," said Councilman Ralph Taylor. "Dover is not a war zone. It is a beautiful city where you can raise children, where you can come as seniors and live a great life.It is not a war zone. It has been inundated with drugs and violence just like a lot of other cities have, but again, due to creativity and effective leadership, we are not just getting a handle on it, but we are flourishing, through the pandemic and everything that is happening."
