Related Federal Cases
South Bronx Gang Busted for Narcotics Trafficking
Twenty-one members of a Bronx-based drug trafficking organization were charged with narcotics trafficking and firearms offenses in connection with a coordinated takedown by law enforcement yesterday and today, according to a statement released by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Preet Bharara. The organization operates in the vicinity of the Diego Beekman Houses in the South Bronx.
The defendants, including 14 who are currently in custody, are charged in two separate indictments – United States v. Demetrius Flowers et al. and United States v. Damon Guadalupe et al. Some of the members of the organization were affiliated with a subset of the Bloods Street Gang, known as the “Low Rider Brims,” and other members were affiliated with a gang known as the “Young Shooters.”
Law enforcement agents executed search warrants at three locations, including residential apartments in the area occupied by several of the defendants, recovering items such as crack, cocaine, marijuana, ammunition, and gang paperwork. To date, agents and officers have seized quantities of crack, cocaine, heroin, marijuana, prescription pills, firearms, ammunition, and knives.
“As alleged, these defendants, many of them members of street gangs, terrorized a South Bronx neighborhood with their drug dealing and violence,” said Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara. “Law enforcement has no duty more important than keeping our citizens safe.
DEA Special Agent-in-Charge James J. Hunt said, “Law enforcement’s crackdown on gang related drug trafficking has netted 14 more arrests in New York City. It is alleged that the ‘Low Rider Brims’ and ‘Young Shooters’ street gangs instilled fear and intimidation in the residents of the Beekman Housing Projects in the Bronx. Not only did their alleged drug trafficking fuel drug addiction, their ‘armed and ready’ attitude resulted in numerous shootings and turf battles jeopardizing the safety of the neighboring schools and community.”
The defendants will be presented before United States Magistrate Ronald L. Ellis in Manhattan federal court today. The investigation is ongoing, and law enforcement officials are committed to combating violent criminal organizations and ensuring the continued safety of the community.
Commissioner William J. Bratton added, “This investigation is the latest example of a coordinated effort to combat drug trafficking, whose operations brought an influx of violence to our city. We will continue to work tirelessly to dismantle these organizations and bring those responsible to justice.
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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