The owner of a Wilmington auto detailing was sentenced to nearly seven years in prison in connection with running a heroin ring out of the business.
Daywine Hunter, 32, of Wilmington, was sentenced to 82 months following a conviction for conspiracy to distribute heroin at B&D Detailing, an auto detailing shop adjacent to the now-shuttered Thunderguards Clubhouse on Northeast Boulevard in Wilmington.
Hunter’s co-defendants, Victor Williams, 54, Brian Teat, 53, and Prince Seward, 51, all of Wilmington, were sentenced to 46, 41 and 21 months, respectively. Jaquanda Lewis-Davis, 22, is awaiting sentencing.
According to statements made in court, the Drug Enforcement Administration began investigating Hunter, who was believed to b selling heroin out of the parking lot of the Thunderguards Clubhouse.
In April 2014, the State of Delaware and the City of Wilmington jointly filed a civil nuisance action to shut down the Thunderguards Clubhouse, citing the history of violence and drug activity.
After the property was closed, Hunter began running his heroin distribution operation out of B&D Detailing, an auto detailing business he owned near the Thunderguards Clubhouse, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Delaware.
Law enforcement obtained court authorization to wiretap Hunter’s cell phone, and to install a video and audio bug inside B&D Detailing.
During the monitoring period, law enforcement watched as Hunter received three deliveries of heroin, each consisting of approximately 130,000 baggies.
For each delivery, Hunter sent two or more couriers to Philadelphia in a vehicle to meet with his heroin source of supply, and the source of supply would place the heroin in a “trap,” a hidden compartment in the vehicle. The couriers would then drive the vehicle back to B&D Detailing. Hunter would open the trap and remove the heroin. Hunter’s co-defendants acted as couriers during the investigation. Hunter paid Brian Teat, Prince Seward, and his father, Victor Williams, in heroin as compensation for their trips to Philadelphia.
On April 22 the day after the couriers made a trip to Philadelphia, video surveillance caught a Lincoln Aviator with a hidden compartment as it backed into B&D Detailing.
Hunter was then seen removing a shopping bag from the Navigator. Officers executed a search warrant at B&D Detailing and recovered the bag, which was found to contain approximately 130,000 baggies of heroin packaged for distribution. Officers also found a jacket, commonly referred to as “colors,” belonging to a Thunderguards member.
“Hunter are his co-defendants were responsible for distributing a significant amount of heroin in the Wilmington area,” said Gary Tuggle, special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Philadelphia Field Division. “The heroin that they distributed undoubtedly ruined numerous lives and disrupted families across the Wilmington area and beyond. The penalties for this level of criminal activity are severe.”
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Wilmington Resident Office of the Drug Enforcement Administration, HIDTA Group 41, the Delaware State Police, the Wilmington Police Department, the Newark Police Department, New Castle County Police Department, Delaware Probation and Parole, and the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations.
