Delaware police arrest eight in “Operation Thunder Clap”

Delaware State Police charge eight members of the Thunderguards Motorcycle Club following a three month investigation that involved more than 100 law enforcement personnel.

Police accuse members of the club of running a drug distribution network in New Castle County.  In the early morning hours of Monday, November 5, officers conducted ten simultaneous raids at locations in the county and one home in Elkton, Maryland.  

As a result of those searches, police arrested eight individuals and seized more than two kilos of cocaine, plus guns, money and vehicles.  Police say Operation Thunder Clap is not over, and more arrests are expected.

The investigation required cooperation on multiple levels and included officers from the Governor’s Drug Task Force, New Castle County Police, Middletown Police, Dover Police, Maryland State Police, Cecil County (Md.) Drug Task Force, and FBI Baltimore SWAT.  

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One of the suspects, 35-year-old Ernest Saunders of New Castle is being held on $4.5 million secured bond on a host of drug charges.  

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