MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — A large-scale investigation by law enforcement netted a no contest plea last week in Berkeley County court from the alleged kingpin of the “Get Money By Any Means” gang.
Berkeley County Assistant Prosecutor Joe Kinser said Zeto Tape, also known as Tadoe , 23, of Hagerstown, Maryland, pleaded no contest to a felony offense of Criminal Enterprise Act Violation.
Prosecutors said Tape was the head of what they call a ‘major criminal enterprise.’
Investigators started taking a closer look into two separate shooting incidents in the city of Martinsburg and Berkeley County in 2022. That led to a 158-count indictment that alleged seven individuals committed criminal acts, ranging from attempted murder and wanton endangerment to firearms charges and a variety of drug trafficking charges related to marijuana to cocaine base and fentanyl. During the investigation, 1,700 pressed fentanyl pills and $18,000 in cash were seized.
Kinser talked about the conviction Monday on the Panhandle News Network.
“He was kind of the top of the organization, and was certainly one of the founders,” Kinser said. “Being able to obtain this conviction, it was a big deal. It was important for us to see this through.”
Kinser said what brought it to the attention of authorities was a rash of shootings in Berkeley County last year. He said a number of local and federal law enforcement entities came together for the investigation.
“We were able to see that the shootings were related to this gang activity, ‘Get Money By Any Means.'”
Kinser said the drug trafficking component was particularly concerning to their office because more than a thousand pressed fentanyl pills were among the items seized.
“What terrifies me specifically about pressed fentanyl pills is that they look like tablets,” he said. “They look like they’re from a pharmacy.”
“They’re in bright colors,” Kinser said, adding that makes them more appealing to young people. “High school parties – youth – it’s something that’s more accessible to them, and they don’t know what they’re getting.”
Tape faces up to 10 years in prison when he is sentenced on Dec. 14.
Kinser said Tape could also face deportation back to the Ivory Coast.
Tape may faces up to 10 additional years in prison for attacking a fellow jail inmate, according to Berkeley County Prosecuting Attorney Catie Wilkes Delligatti.
Kinser said Tape another another inmate assaulted a fellow inmate who had been the target of one of the original shootings back in 2022, prompting some of the later charges, which were adjudicated earlier this month.