PHILADELPHIA, PA — A Philadelphia man described by federal prosecutors as the leader of a large-scale drug trafficking organization operating near a charter school in Port Richmond was sentenced Tuesday to 18 years in prison.
Phillip Gillard, 48, received 18 years’ imprisonment, 10 years of supervised release and $2,400 in fines and assessments from U.S. District Judge John M. Gallagher, according to U.S. Attorney David Metcalf.
Gillard was convicted at trial in February 2024 on federal drug trafficking and firearms charges.
In July 2023, a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania returned a 54-count superseding indictment charging Gillard and eight co-defendants for their roles in a drug trafficking organization operating in the immediate vicinity of Memphis Street Academy, a charter school at 2950 Memphis St.
Prosecutors said the charges stemmed from a two-year FBI investigation into the organization, which supplied wholesale quantities of methamphetamine, phencyclidine, fentanyl and other narcotics to other traffickers.
During the investigation, law enforcement conducted surveillance and undercover operations in which drugs were purchased from members of the organization.
Authorities said Gillard and his co-defendants maintained three properties connected to the operation, all within 1,000 feet of the school.
According to federal officials, agents seized more than 20 pounds of pure methamphetamine, three gallons of PCP, 1.5 kilograms of cocaine, 900 grams of crack cocaine, 400 grams of fentanyl and 11 firearms.
Eight co-defendants — Diane Gillard, Sharif Jackson, Amin Whitehead, Cesar Maldonado, Terrence Maxwell, Raphael Sanchez, Melvin Dreher and Arron Preno — pleaded guilty.
Diane Gillard was sentenced to 16 years in prison and 10 years of supervised release. Jackson received 15 years and 10 years of supervised release. Whitehead was sentenced to 11½ years and 10 years of supervised release. Maldonado received eight years and eight years of supervised release.
Maxwell was sentenced to more than seven and a half years and five years of supervised release. Sanchez received seven and a half years and three years of supervised release. Dreher was sentenced to five years and three years of supervised release, and Preno received six months in prison and two years of supervised release.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the Philadelphia Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Everett Witherell and Robert Schopf.
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