NEWARK, NJ — Twelve members, associates and suppliers of a drug-trafficking organization based in Newark have been charged in connection with their roles in distributing heroin, fentanyl and crack cocaine and using firearms to protect their illegal operation, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced July 31.
The 12 defendants were charged in a complaint unsealed July 31; six others have been previously charged on separate complaints.
“That these defendants allegedly used a neighborhood rec center as a place to conceal and sell dangerous drugs is almost beyond comprehension,” Carpenito said. “While neighborhood children were coming here to play basketball and chess, they may have been just a few feet away from narcotics and the criminals who sell them. Getting the people who ran this operation off the street is a priority for law enforcement, and together with our partners in the DEA, the Newark Police, the New Jersey State Police and many others, we are doing just that.”
“Those arrested not only held a community hostage with their violence and drug dealing, but they also utilized a community recreation center to deliver and store their heroin,” said Special Agent Susan Gibson, who is in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Jersey Division. “These people were concerned only with making money with no concern for the damage they were causing.”
“Once again, a great collaboration with our federal partners helps Newark to become a safer place,” Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said. “Last year, the U.S. Attorney’s Office was responsible for over 100 violent cases. I’m glad to see this trend continue in 2019. The people of Newark are the benefactors.”
According to the documents filed in this case and statements made in court, the charges and arrests are the result of a long-running wiretap investigation led by the DEA. The organization’s leaders, Edward Williams and Wali Duncan, obtained their supply of narcotics from Rahim Jackson and Arthur Hardy, who would deliver the narcotics personally or through runners. On numerous occasions, large narcotics deliveries took place in and around the Rotunda Recreation and Wellness Center on Clifton Avenue, where Hardy was the director and Jackson and Williams were employees. These individuals also used the center to stash drugs and money.
Williams and Duncan are members of the G-Shine set of the Bloods street gang, which operates at the Janice Cromer Village public housing complex, also known as the Broadway Townhomes, in Newark. Duncan supplied narcotics to numerous individuals who would sell them in the neighborhood, which is near two elementary schools and a high school.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited law enforcement officers from the DEA, Newark Department of Public Safety, N.J. State Police, Essex County Sheriff’s Office, Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, Rockaway Township Police Department and the ATF in Newark for their contributions to this investigation.
Those charged are Edward Williams, aka “Fadia,” 51; Wali Duncan, aka “Haneef Toler” and “Remix,” 37; Rahim Jackson, aka “Rah,” 43; Arthur Hardy, aka “Art,” 41; Tieshorn Fletcher, aka “X” and “Fat Boy,” 37; Kareem Collier, aka “Grimey” and “Grime,” 41; Fuquan Bunn, aka “G Fu,” 38; Shyiem Gordon, aka “GT,” 24; Michael Graham, aka “Soulman,” 35; Terrell Evans, aka “Rell,” 30; Arraheem Washington, 42; and Wilfredo P. Jimenez, aka “Pedro Munoz,” “Pedro Munoz Almonte” and “Carlos Rivera,” 47.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaints are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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