Officials: 24 alleged gang members charged in Essex County drug trafficking bust
Authorities say a violent street gang ran its organization in the Bradley Court Housing Complex in Newark.
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Alina Habba, the acting U.S. attorney for the state of New Jersey, announced on Tuesday that over a dozen people have been arrested for their alleged roles in a violent drug trafficking organization in Essex County.
Authorities say a violent street gang ran its organization in the Bradley Court Housing Complex in Newark. Habba said 24 alleged members and associates have been charged, with 18 already under arrest. They are facing charges for conspiracy to distribute 400 or more grams of fentanyl, a kilogram or more of heroin and a large quantity of crack cocaine.
“Several of these defendants used rap songs and music videos on social media to intimidate rivals, threaten witnesses and promote their criminal enterprise,” Habba said.
Habba says that the defendants charged in the drug conspiracy face a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine. Three others were charged with possession of a machine gun used in the shooting of a rival gang in Newark. Another alleged member is facing attempted murder charges.
"If you spread the poison or engage in this violent activity, we will use every resource necessary to find you, dismantle your operation, and to fully prosecute you,” Habba said.
Tuesday’s announcement came as President Donald Trump nominated Habba to stay on for a full four-year term.
She made the news recently after her office charged Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and Rep. LaMonica McIver for their interactions with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at the Delaney Hall detention facility. Baraka’s charges have since been dropped. McIver pleaded not guilty to federal assault charges.
