| TRENTON
- Attorney General Zulima V. Farber and
Division of Criminal Justice Director Gregory
A. Paw announced that seven individuals,
including reputed members of a faction of
the Trenton “Bloods” street
gang, have been charged in state grand jury
indictments with operating a drug trafficking
network that supplied cocaine in the Trenton
and Mercer County area.
Attorney General Farber said the state grand
jury indictments resulted from a Division
of Criminal Justice-led investigation that
targeted the alleged activities of a Trenton-based
cocaine distribution network. The continuing
investigation includes law enforcement officers
from the Mercer County Prosecutor’s
Office, Trenton Police Department, U.S.
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Mercer
County Sheriff’s Department, Monmouth
County Prosecutor’s Office, Hamilton
Township Police Department, and the New
Jersey National Guard.
“This
investigation and prosecution has resulted
in the indictment of members of an alleged
cocaine distribution network linked to a
Trenton faction of the ‘Bloods’
street gang,” said Attorney General
Farber. “The Attorney General’s
Office will not stand by and allow gang
violence to turn our communities into crime
and terror zones. By targeting large-scale
gang and drug activity, law enforcement
will work to take back communities street-by-street
and block-by-block.”
According
to Criminal Justice Director Paw, three
state grand jury indictments charge seven
individuals with first degree racketeering
conspiracy and various counts of distribution
of a controlled dangerous substance, possession
with intent to distribute a controlled dangerous
substance, possession of a controlled dangerous
substance, and weapons violations. A separate,
unrelated indictment, charges a Trenton
resident with selling heroin to undercover
detectives.
The
defendants identified in the racketeering
indictments are identified as:
-
Carlos Berry aka “Los”,
33, Trenton. Charged with conspiracy
to commit racketeering (first degree),
distribution of a controlled dangerous
substance (second degree), and possession
with intent to distribute a controlled
dangerous substance (first degree).
Arrested in September 2005. Remains
incarcerated in Mercer County Jail in
lieu of $250,000 bail. Alleged member
of the Trenton “Gangster Killer”
Bloods;
- Ronnie
Elder, 32, Trenton. Charged with conspiracy
to commit racketeering (first degree),
distribution of a controlled dangerous
substance (first degree), and weapons
possession (second degree). Arrested
in September, 2005. Bail set at $500,000;
- Kenneth
Miller, 35, Trenton. Charged with conspiracy
to commit racketeering (first degree)
and possession with intent to distribute
a controlled dangerous substance (first
degree). Arrested in September, 2005.
Bail set at $250,000;
- Rasheen
Hollins aka “New York Rob,”
26, Trenton. Charged with conspiracy
to commit racketeering (first degree).
Arrested in September, 2005.
- Ronnie
Wright, 32, Trenton. Charged with conspiracy
to commit racketeering (first degree).
Arrested in September, 2005. Bail set
at $100,000;
- Mark
Feggans, 28, Ewing Township. Charged
with conspiracy to commit racketeering
(first degree), possession of a controlled
dangerous substance (third degree),
and weapons possession (second degree).
Arrested in September, 2005. Bail set
at $100,000;
- Frankie
Mack, 42, Trenton. Charged with conspiracy
to commit racketeering (first degree).
Arrested in September, 2005. Bail set
at $50,000.
The
racketeering indictments allege that from
December, 2004 through July, 2005, the defendants
operated an organized drug trafficking cartel
allegedly responsible for controlling a
significant portion of the cocaine trade
in the Trenton-Mercer County area. The indictments
allege that Elder controlled the illegal
drug distribution activity and that Berry
and the other defendants placed orders for
cocaine with Elder. It is alleged that Elder
provided cocaine to the other members of
the drug trafficking network for street-level
distribution.
To
date, Operation “Capital City”
has resulted in the overall seizure of cocaine
with a street value of nearly $1 million,
more than $285,000 in cash and bank accounts,
$200,000 in jewelry, seven vehicles, and
numerous weapons, including a .45-caliber
Thompson submachine gun, a 9 mm Intratec
TEC 9 semi-automatic pistol, two shotguns,
two rifles and seven handguns.
A
separate state grand jury indictment charged
Alvin Howard, 18, Trenton, with possession
with intent to distribute a controlled dangerous
substance (heroin), possession of a controlled
dangerous substance, and receiving stolen
property. The indictment charges that on
Oct. 7, 2005, Howard, identified as an alleged
member of the “Bloods”, sold
heroin to undercover law enforcement officers
and was arrested. A court authorized search
warrant resulted in the seizure of 212 “decks”
of heroin and a stolen .40 caliber pistol.
Criminal
Justice Director Paw commended Deputy Attorney
General Frank M. Gennaro, Supervising State
Investigator Allan Buecker, and state investigators
Brian Kiely and Tim Savage assigned to the
Division of Criminal Justice - Major Crimes
Unit, along with Lt. William Straniero and
Detective Michael Novembre of the Mercer
County Prosecutor’s Office; Lt. Daniel
Pagnotta Jr. and Detective Gary Britton
of the Trenton Police Department; and Deputy
Chief Guy McCormack and Capt. Brian Rubino,
of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s
Office.
The
state grand jury indictments were handed-up
to Mercer County Superior Court Judge Linda
R. Feinberg on March 29. The defendants
will be ordered to appear in Mercer County
Superior Court for arraignment and bail.
An indictment represents an accusation.
The defendants are presumed innocent unless
or until proven guilty in a court of law.
Additional
information on Operation “Capital
City,” along with copies of the state
grand jury indictments, is available via
the Division of Criminal Justice Web site
at www.NJDCJ.org.
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