NEWARK, NJ — Eleven people were charged Feb. 25 for their roles as members and associates of a drug-trafficking organization involved in the distribution of narcotics, including heroin, fentanyl and cocaine base, in the Stephen Crane Village Housing Complex in Newark, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
One defendant is also charged with the murder of a conspirator in an apartment in Crane Village.
The charges and arrests resulted from an investigation led by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in conjunction with numerous local law enforcement partners and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
“The criminal complaint against these defendants details a brazen drug-dealing operation going on right out in the open that used violence to accomplish its goals,” Carpenito said. “Thanks to the combined work of our federal, state and local partners, we have been able to address a substantial threat to the public.”
“Tonight, residents of the Stephen Crane Village Apartments, and the cities of Newark and Belleville, can rest a little easier,” ATF Special Agent in Charge Charlie J. Patterson said. “Through the relentless efforts of our ATF Newark personnel, along with the unmatched dedication of our partner agencies, we have collectively removed the worst of the worst from our community. These individuals worked in tandem as a hybrid gang, whose community spoilage included drug distribution and murder. Their ruthless grip on the community has been broken thanks to law enforcement cooperation, and a common mission to remove the most dangerous offenders responsible for violent crime from the community.”
“Belleville police are committed to reducing violent crimes that directly have an impact on our residents,” Belleville Police Chief Mark Minichini said. “Today’s arrests sends a clear concise message that local, county and state resources will work together to combat these types of crimes thereby making our community safer.”
“Once again, collaboration brings results to a community that has been held hostage by a few people,” Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said.
The complaint charges Newark residents Gary Shahid, 60; Jose Lora, 22; Dayquan Jordan, 25; Ricky Terrell, 23; Charles Mells, 36; Raquan Rawls, 21; Nasir Williams, 23; Quadir Hatcher, 27; Tyree Purkett, 23; James Wicker, 27; and Michael Mayse, 33, in one conspiracy spanning February 2019 to February 2020 and involving the distribution of heroin, fentanyl and cocaine base in and around Crane Village. Jordan, Rawls, Williams, Hatcher and Mayse are additionally charged with distribution of cocaine base and heroin on Nov. 21, 2019. Mayse is additionally charged with murder during and in relation to a drug-trafficking offense.
Seven defendants were arrested Feb. 25 and two, Mayse and Mells, were already in state custody. Two defendants, Rawls and Purkett, remain at large.
According to the documents filed in this case and statements made in court, Crane Village is a public housing complex near Branch Brook Park, on Newark’s border with Belleville. Given its location and layout, which makes it difficult for law enforcement to surveil, Crane Village is the site of an open-air drug market. Since at least February 2019, law enforcement officers have been investigating the organization that controls this drug market.
Through numerous controlled purchases of narcotics, consensually recorded telephone calls and text messages, physical surveillance, and the analysis of telephone call detail records, law enforcement determined that the defendants conspired to distribute narcotics in and around Crane Village. The organization used a drug stash apartment in Crane Village to package and store drugs for distribution. On Dec. 15, 2019, Mayse entered the stash apartment and allegedly murdered a conspirator over a monetary debt relating to the distribution of narcotics.
The count of conspiracy to distribute at least 28 grams of cocaine base and a quantity of heroin and fentanyl carries a minimum penalty of five years in prison, maximum penalty of 40 years in prison and a fine of at least $5 million. The count of distribution of a quantity of heroin and cocaine base carries a maximum of 20 years in prison and a fine of $1 million. The count of murder during and in relation to a drug-trafficking crime is eligible for the death penalty, or a maximum sentence of life in prison, and a $250,000 fine.
The charges and allegations in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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