Brooklyn Drug Crew Killers Sentenced to 30 and 20 Years

A violent killing in broad daylight has resulted in two members of a Brooklyn drug crew facing lengthy prison sentences.

On April 25, 2021, Felton Durant was shot to death in the middle of a busy public housing development in South Brooklyn. Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that DANZEL MACKINS, a/k/a “Putt,” and DARRIN SAMUELS, a/k/a “Klepto,” were sentenced to 30 and 20 years in prison, respectively, for their roles in the murder.

MACKINS, 32, of Brooklyn, New York, and SAMUELS, 36, of Brooklyn, New York, were members of a drug crew that operated in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant, selling large quantities of crack cocaine in retail transactions from 2019 to 2022. The crew used firearms to further their drug trafficking activities, with MACKINS using a firearm to fire multiple shots at fleeing persons on the street in January 2020.

Both MACKINS and SAMUELS participated in the killing of Durant, who was shot to death when the pair, together with other members of their drug crew, set out to hunt down and kill the leader of a rival drug crew. The killing took place in a busy public housing development, leaving a trail of bloodshed and devastation in its wake.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “On April 25, 2021, Felton Durant was shot to death in broad daylight on a weekend afternoon over a drug dispute. Both Danzel Mackins and Darrin Samuels participated in that brutal killing, which took place in the middle of a busy public housing development in South Brooklyn. Because of the hard work of the NYPD and the career prosecutors of this Office, Mackins and Samuels have now both been held responsible for this heinous crime.”

In addition to their prison sentences, MACKINS and SAMUELS were sentenced to five years and three years of supervised release, respectively. The case was handled by the Office’s Narcotics Unit, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas John Wright in charge of the prosecution. Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the NYPD and thanked the Kings County District Attorney’s Office for its assistance in the case.