James I. Watts, also known as “Chubbs,” was sentenced on July 21 to 276 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for drug trafficking and gun offenses, according to United States Attorney David Metcalf. The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge Juan R. Sánchez.
Watts, 41, of Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in September of last year to two counts each of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, possession of a firearm by a felon, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He had been charged by superseding indictment in May 2023.
According to court filings and statements made during the proceedings, Watts was identified as the leader of the Crown Royal Gang (CRG), which trafficked large quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl in Northeast Philadelphia.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Philadelphia Police Department began investigating CRG’s activities in early 2020. Surveillance operations were conducted around the Oxford Village Housing Project at 6150 Algon Avenue. Investigators focused on a yellow Ford E250 van registered to Watts that was frequently used by CRG members between October 2020 and March 2021.
On March 12, 2021, investigators observed Watts removing a black plastic bag from the van before leaving the area in a white Acura TL. After police stopped him for driving with a suspended license and found $4,000 cash on his person during a safety pat-down, narcotics K-9 units alerted officers to drugs inside both vehicles. Search warrants led officers to recover over one kilogram of cocaine along with crystal methamphetamine, heroin, oxycodone pills, crack cocaine, drug packaging materials, multiple cell phones, and four handguns from both vehicles.
The case was investigated by the FBI and Philadelphia Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Everett Witherell and Lindsey Mills.