Fourteen defendants, including self-styled street kingpins Rene Ruiz, a/k/a “Lil’ Rene,” and Wilfredo Gonzalez, a/k/a “Freddy,” were hit with federal charges in Manhattan following the unsealing of an indictment detailing a years-long narcotics, firearms, and armed robbery spree across the Bronx and Yonkers. The indictment, unsealed in Manhattan federal court, charges the crew with flooding neighborhoods with heroin, crack cocaine, and marijuana while arming themselves to the teeth and robbing commercial businesses at gunpoint.
The indictment charges 10 defendants with operating a narcotics conspiracy centered on Decatur Avenue and East 194th and 195th Streets in the Bronx from 2011 to early 2017. Those named include RENE RUIZ, a/k/a “Lil’ Rene,” a/k/a “Nae Nae”; WILFREDO GONZALEZ, a/k/a “Alfredo Gonzalez,” a/k/a “Freddy”; DOMINGO RAMOS, a/k/a “Mingo”; JASON POLANCO, a/k/a “Jin”; AMAR AHMED, a/k/a “Omar,” a/k/a “O”; ZAIE ESCRIBANO, a/k/a “Zaieto,” a/k/a “Z”; JAIME GONZALEZ, a/k/a “Jimbo”; JORDAN MCDONALD, a/k/a “Umi”; EDWARD NELSON, a/k/a “Boo,” a/k/a “Bugatti”; and CHRISTOPHER CORREA, a/k/a “Chris.” All are accused of distributing controlled substances and possessing them with intent to distribute.
Eight of those defendants are also charged with using, carrying, and possessing firearms during the drug conspiracy, a violation that carries steep mandatory minimum sentences. Three others — specifically named in the indictment — face separate charges for firearms trafficking, accused of funneling illegal weapons to active street dealers. Four defendants are additionally charged in connection with armed commercial robberies at businesses in the Bronx and Manhattan, where they allegedly stormed in with guns drawn, stole cash, and fled, leaving behind terrorized employees and customers.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: “As alleged, the defendants arrested today plagued the Bronx and Yonkers with drug dealing, guns, and commercial robberies. Thanks to the outstanding and cooperative efforts of the ATF, NYPD, and DEA, the defendants’ rash of alleged crimes has been brought to an end.” The indictment marks the culmination of a multi-year investigation involving dozens of agents and detectives from federal and local law enforcement agencies.
NYPD Commissioner James P. O’Neill said: “The 14 defendants in this case face drug and gun charges after a multi-year investigation into the heroin, crack cocaine and marijuana trade in the Bronx and Yonkers. Four of the defendants are charged in connection with armed robberies in the Bronx and Manhattan and three are accused of firearms trafficking. Our neighborhoods are safer with these people – and the drugs and guns – off of our streets.”
ATF Special Agent-in-Charge Ashan M. Benedict added: “Today’s indictment demonstrates the dangerous intersection between firearms trafficking, narcotics trafficking, the illicit possession and use of firearms, and violent crime. These defendants allegedly engaged in an alphabet soup of criminal activity, spreading poison, fear, and violence in their wake.” DEA SAC James J. Hunt called the takedown “justice hitting the Wild West,” noting that “reality hit them today when they were arrested and brought to court.”
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Key Facts
- State: New York
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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