Dozens of suspects were arrested Tuesday in a multi-agency raid of an alleged drug ring in the Bronx believed to be responsible for trafficking narcotics that reached a SUNY campus upstate and had members accused in several gang-related murders.
Law enforcement officers were seen entering buildings in the Webster and Gouverneur Morris houses in the early morning hours Tuesday amid pouring rain. Investigators said one goal of the raids was to crack down on crimes in and around city public housing units.
Some of the more than 40 suspects arrested are expected to face charges in five different slayings, according to law enforcement officials. Nearly two dozen others expected to be charged this week are already behind bars.
Some members of the alleged drug ring are believed to be gang members belonging to a breakaway Bloods crew that calls itself the "Macballas," notorious for at least two high-profile killings, including that of an innocent high school student in 2006. The victim, 18-year-old Samantha Guzman, was hit by a stray bullet, and her death became a segment for "America's Most Wanted."
Crew members are also accused of sending 14-year-old Shalliver Douse to carry out a hit on a rival. In exchange, gang leaders allegedly promised the boy he could join the Macballas. Douse was later killed that night in a shootout with police.
Other suspects arrested Tuesday are accused of running a cocaine trafficking ring. Law enforcement officials said the investigation shows some of the drugs went through intermediaries and then were sold on the SUNY Binghamton campus.
Yet other suspects are linked to a June 2012 kidnapping where a victim was found alive inside the trunk of a car in Yonkers.
Local
Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson’s office was expected to detail the arrests Wednesday morning.
