In the News: Delray Beach Drug Trafficking Ringleader Arrested

The war on drugs in South Florida has had quite a few notable victories as of recently, and this story is one of those cases that took a little time to conclude but will make an impact on the community in Delray Beach. 38-year-old Delray Beach resident by the name of Andrae Marquis Waters was booked into jail this past Friday, suspected as being the leader of what local authorities would later describe as a “well-organized narcotics trafficking organization”. Police stated they started their detailed investigation back in March of 2013. Following an investigation that lasted more than a year, according to a Delray Beach Police arrest report, finally the supposed head of operations Andrae Marquis Waters has been taken into custody.

Andrae Marquis Waters Drug Trafficking Organization

Agents directly involved so far refer to the operation simply as the Andrae Marquis Waters Drug Trafficking Organization, and report that this narcotics ring was involved in the distribution of crack cocaine in Delray Beach and the surrounding area through an intricate chain of main and street-level dealers, lookouts and the main supplier. Once purchased through the supplier the cocaine was cooked into crack-cocaine and packaged at an apartment near the Youthland Academy on the 600 block of Auburn Avenue in Delray Beach.

Kenell Pierre is suspected as the source through which the cocaine sold by the organization was supplied. Police stated Kenell Pierre would carry out drug transactions with Andrae Marquis Waters at businesses located around West Palm Beach where Pierre lives such as gas stations and fast food restaurants. Pierre was sentenced in May and is currently serving a four-year sentence for drug trafficking.

Investigation Information

One of the most helpful tactics used in the investigation were the two phones used in the organization that had been tapped by the authorities for around two months, starting back in October. These wiretaps of the two phones we authorized by a judge, and utilized for police to listen in on conversations and transactions between Andrae Marquis Waters and others. This way they could track and record several drug deals from October to December. This abundance of information leads to a 28-page long arrest report.

Throughout the investigation, undercover officers had made a few efforts to set up and execute a few purchases for crack-cocaine from one of the Waters’ distributors in November of last year. In one deal in particular set to take place in a Wendy’s fast food parking lot an agent waited to complete a buy from one of the networks dealers. Unfortunately, this dealer told the officer “something wasn’t right” and walked away from the transaction, making that a dead end sting for the officers. However, the operation continued and 5 days later a SWAT team executed a search warrant at the Auburn Avenue apartment and found Waters hiding in the bathroom. According to the police report Andrae Marquis Waters admitted to the agents he had been in the kitchen at the time cooking crack-cocaine.

At the time he was originally only arrested on two charges and Waters was later released after only one day in jail. Later on when he was arrested investigators had accumulated an astonishing 71 charges against Andrae Marquis Waters. The suspected leader of a narcotics network is now facing charges for cocaine selling, trafficking, and other drug charges. He is currently being held in Palm Beach County Jail with a price-tag on his bail of $645,000. With a tab like that hopefully he will be in custody long enough for the trial to run its course, and if all goes well this specific organization will be eliminated in this South Florida community.

If you or someone you love is struggling with substance abuse or addiction, please call toll-free 1-800-951-6135