17 Cocaine Gang Members Arrested: Cops

Narcotics agents have arrested 17 members of an Upper Manhattan drug gang that used underaged teens to sell cocaine.

The Manhattan district attorney's office said Tuesday the 17 are members of the Trinitarios, a gang formed in the city's jails. They said one is a 15-year-old whose case is in Family Court.

Prosecutors say suspects wore an identifying item of green clothing while selling cocaine around 171st Street and Amsterdam Avenue. Most are in their late teens and early 20s.

The arrests occurred late Monday and early Tuesday, mostly in Washington Heights and Hudson County, N.J. Six other suspects are being sought.

Prosecutors said the suspects are charged with drug-related crimes committed between December 2007 and July 2009. Most face life in prison if convicted.