Grape Street Crips Wholesalers Keem, E-Wax Plead Guilty

Hakeem Vanderhall, a/k/a “Keem,” a/k/a “Sugar Bear,” 32, of East Orange, New Jersey, and Eric Concepcion, a/k/a “Eddie Arroyo,” a/k/a “E-Wax,” a/k/a “Wax,” 30, of Clifton, New Jersey, pleaded guilty today to running a high-volume crack-cocaine wholesale operation as top-level distributors for the New Jersey faction of the Grape Street Crips. The guilty pleas, entered before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo in Newark federal court, expose a violent, tightly organized drug network that flooded Newark neighborhoods with narcotics and terrorized streets with firepower.

The two men admitted to charges in Count 1 and Count 18 of a sixth superseding indictment, specifically racketeering conspiracy and conspiracy to distribute crack-cocaine. According to court filings and statements made during the plea hearing, the New Jersey Grape Street Crips operated as a criminal enterprise, controlling drug distribution across key zones in Newark. Vanderhall, Concepcion, and other named gang members — including Jamar Hamilton, a/k/a “Gunner,” Tyquan Clark a/k/a “Tah,” and Rashan Washington, a/k/a “Shoota” — used a shared cell phone exclusively to process bulk orders and coordinate distribution of thousands of clips of crack-cocaine.

The operation wasn’t just about drugs — it was about dominance. To protect their turf along 6th Avenue and North 5th Street in Newark, the gang maintained a stockpile of “community guns” — weapons passed among members to enforce loyalty and retaliate against rivals. Federal investigators seized a cache of military-grade firearms, including a .410 caliber assault rifle, a .45 caliber Thompson semi-automatic carbine, a 7.62 caliber assault rifle, and multiple semi-automatic handguns — all evidence of an armed criminal enterprise ready for war.

The guilty pleas mark a major blow to the Grape Street Crips’ presence in northern New Jersey. Under the terms of their plea agreements, both Vanderhall and Concepcion are set to receive 18-year federal prison sentences followed by five years of supervised release. Their sentencing is scheduled for May 16, 2017, and carries no possibility of parole — a sentence that reflects the severity of their role in a gang tied to both widespread drug distribution and violent intimidation.

The investigation was a joint force of federal and local agencies operating under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) and the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force. U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman credited DEA Special Agent in Charge Carl J. Kotowski, FBI Special Agent in Charge Timothy Gallagher, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray, Newark Director of Public Safety Anthony F. Ambrose, and Sheriff Armando B. Fontoura for their relentless work in dismantling the network. The cooperation between federal, state, and city law enforcement underscores the complexity and danger of modern gang syndicates.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Osmar J. Benvenuto and Barry A. Kamar are prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. Defense counsel Joshua L. Markowitz Esq. represented Vanderhall of Lawrenceville, New Jersey, while Stephen Turano Esq. represented Concepcion of Newark. With this plea, another chapter closes in the federal crackdown on Newark’s most entrenched street gangs — but the scars of their reign remain etched in the city’s streets.