Feds Bust 13 Suspected Bloods Members on Narcotics Charges
The suspects are expected to be arraigned in federal court in White Plains later today.
Thirteen members and associates of a violent drug gang operating throughout the Hudson Valley have been arrested, a law-enforcement official tells NBC New York.
The FBI's Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force arrested members of the Bloods gang on federal narcotics charges early Tuesday in Monticello, Fallsberg and Liberty, the law-enforcement official said.
Agents from DEA and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as well as officers from the New York State Police and Monticello Police Department assisted in the bust.
The federal indictment charges the 13 individuals with distribution of cocaine and crack cocaine and comes after a nearly two-year investigation by the task force, sources said.
"Narcotics trafficking adversely affects safety and quality of life in municipalities big and small," FBI Assistant Director Janice Fedarcyk said. "The illicit drug trade is not just an urban problem, and the FBI is as committed to Monticello as Manhattan."
The suspects were due in federal court in White Plains later Tuesday.
Eleven of those charged face life in prison if convicted.
