WILMINGTON, DE — A months-long joint investigation between Delaware and Maryland law enforcement has resulted in the arrest of three men accused of operating a multi-county drug trafficking organization. Authorities allege the group was responsible for distributing cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, and marijuana across New Castle County, Delaware, and Cecil County, Maryland.
The Delaware State Police, working with the Cecil County Drug Task Force, identified the suspects as 34-year-old Aaron Nickerson of Wilmington, 30-year-old Khalil Rodriguez-Fitzgerald of New Castle, and 33-year-old Malcolm Moore of Claymont.
On August 6, 2025, members of the Delaware State Police Special Operations Response Team stopped a rental vehicle driven by Nickerson in Wilmington, taking all three men into custody. A search of the vehicle allegedly uncovered approximately 140 grams of crack cocaine, 4.3 pounds of marijuana, and more than $11,000 in suspected drug proceeds.
Subsequent search warrants executed at multiple New Castle County locations reportedly led to the seizure of 323 grams of cocaine, 108 grams of crack cocaine, nearly 1,800 grams of phenacetin — a suspected cutting agent — along with 24 grams of marijuana, a handgun, ammunition, more than $21,000 in suspected drug proceeds, and various drug-dealing paraphernalia. Investigators noted that two children were present at one of the residences during the searches.
Nickerson, a convicted felon prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition, faces a series of felony charges including three counts each of possession and possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance in a Tier 3 quantity, possession of a firearm by a person prohibited, and endangering the welfare of a child. He is being held at Howard R. Young Correctional Institution on $178,500 cash bail.
Rodriguez-Fitzgerald and Moore are both charged with felony drug possession and conspiracy offenses, and each is being held on $49,000 cash bail.
Law enforcement officials report that the Maryland side of the investigation also resulted in arrests and seizures, though details were not immediately released.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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