Ten people have been charged following the takedown of a Philadelphia-based drug trafficking organization, officials said.

On Wednesday, Sept. 23, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania David Metcalf, FBI Philadelphia Special Agent in Charge Wayne Jacobs and Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel held a news conference to share details about the years-long investigation that resulted in the dismantling of the Jones-Basley drug trafficking organization, which prosecutors said distributed narcotics and cocaine supplied by Mexican cartels.

Press play above to watch the full news conference.

The indictment specifically alleges a conspiracy spanning from 2024 to 2026 involving hundreds of kilograms of cocaine.

“This prosecution is not just of a drug trafficking network. It is the decapitation of a conspiracy to inject poison into our streets and ruin our communities through narcotics,” Metcalf said. “In an organizational sense, and in the context of a narcotic supply chain, you should think of this case as a prosecution of the principals, the executives, the leaders, the founders, the owners, whatever term you want to use, these are the men who cannot be replaced.”

Ten people have been charged following the takedown of a Philadelphia-based drug trafficking organization, according to prosecutors. NBC10's Lauren Mayk has more details.

The multi-agency investigation found that 48-year-old Gregory Jones and 47-year-old Edward Basley, the accused leaders of the operation, moved between $5 million and $10 million worth of cocaine into Philadelphia each month.

Their eight co-defendants were identified as Shawn Bell, 54, of Cheltenham, Pa.; Jabari Savage, 46, Renard Brown, 43, Jermaine Singleton, 52, Farid Haddad, 48, and David McField, 43, all of Philadelphia; Orenthial Bailey, 50, of Temple, Texas, and Eduard Amador, 38, of Manassas, Virginia.

“These men were professional narcotraffickers. They are seasoned and sophisticated. They are not amateurs. These are not young men. As we allege, these are experienced drug dealers in the illicit narcotics trade who have been doing it now for decades,” Metcalf said.

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Prosecutors said many of the defendants are convicted drug traffickers who were sentenced for their offenses. However, he said some had their sentences commuted or reduced.

"These men unfortunately disregarded the mercy and opportunity that this second chance afforded them, rather than turn away from the criminal past to a lawful and prosperous future, they turned back to the illicit narcotics trade and the power and money that it gave them," Metcalf said.

All 10 defendants have been charged with conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. Jones and Basley also each face one count of possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. Basley is also charged with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.