DA Spota: ‘Bloods dealing crack’ in Riverhead

An investigation begun last August into a local street gang uncovered a significant drugs, weapons and counterfeiting operation involving 17 people from the Riverhead area, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota.

Two local factions of the Bloods street gang — known as the Doctors Path Flames of Riverhead and the Trey-9 of Flanders — were involved in the sale of crack cocaine, the distribution of counterfeit bills throughout the Riverhead area, and interstate weapons trafficking, Spota said at a press conference at the courthouse this morning. (See video.)

In all, 14 people were arraigned this morning in Suffolk County Criminal Court on an assortment of conspiracy, drugs and weapons charges as a result of the investigation by the East End Drug Task Force. Four others have been indicted and will be arraigned tomorrow, according to the district attorney’s spokesman, Bob Clifford. Five additional defendants have been arrested but not yet indicted, said Clifford, bringing the total number of people charged as a result of this investigation to 23, Clifford said.

Seven of the 23 defendants were alleged members of the Bloods gang, and one was a member of the Crips gang, according to the district attorney. All of the reputed gang members were residents of Riverhead and Flanders.

Spota said some of those arrested were conspiring to impersonate police officers, and had plans to conduct a home invasion where they believed they could steal $100,000 in cash.

The ring was dealing in approximately half a kilo of cocaine per week, with a street value of about $20,000, Spota said.

“They were cooking and packaging the drugs in their homes,” the district attorney said.

Utilizing court-ordered wiretaps, investigators gathered the evidence that led to the multiple arrests two weeks ago. They intercepted two of the ringleaders on their way back from a drug buy in Brooklyn, where they paid for a half-kilo of what they believed to be cocaine with $16,000 worth of counterfeit bills, Spota said.

Police laboratory testing revealed the white powder purchased with the fake money was actually a mixture of baking soda and crushed sheet rock, Spota said.

“We’ve all heard the expression there is no honor among thieves,” Spota said.

Spread on tables at the press conference was a display of drugs, drug paraphernalia, handguns, cash, counterfeit bills and other items  — including hats and shirts marked with the word “POLICE” that Spota said the defendants planned to wear to impersonate law enforcement authorities, — seized during the execution of search warrants at the defendants’ homes.

“Right here in Riverhead, right here in Southampton and throughout the East End, we have bad, bad people,” Spota said, “people dealing in guns, counterfeit money, cocaine and heroin.

Spota said many of those involved in the operation had prior criminal convictions involving drugs, weapons and other crimes and had been “in and out of jail.”

One man was caught on the wiretap making weapons deals with a person in a southern state whom Spota declined to identify. The matter has been turned over to federal law enforcement authorities, Spota said.

Three handguns — a .357, a 9 mm, and a .45 were recovered during the searches. According to ballistics analysis, Spota said, the 9 mm had been used in two shootings in Riverhead and the .357 had been used in a shooting in the Mastic-Shirley area, he said.

“Gangs have made life miserable for the law-abiding, good citizens of some communities of Suffolk County. Gangs rule the streets in some areas of Suffolk County,”  Spota said.

“The message we want to send is: We are out there. You may scare your neighbors but you do not scare us. We will continue our efforts to get this poison off the street,” the district attorney said.

Defendants charged as a result of a five-month-long East End Drug Task Force investigation into gang activity in the Riverhead area:

Carnell Walker aka Smell, 25, Flanders
alleged Blood gang member
charges:
conspiracy 2nd
conspiracy 4th
criminal sale of a controlled substance 1st by by weight 4 counts
criminal sale of a controlled substance 2nd by weight 6 counts
criminal sale of a controlled substance 3rd 2 counts
criminal possession of a controlled substance 3rd (intent to sell) 11 counts
criminal possession of a controlled substance 3rd (by weight) 9 counts

Arraigned Feb. 3, 2011, pleaded not guilty.

John Gayles aka Guns, 25, Riverhead
alleged Blood gang member
charges:
conspiracy 2d
conspiracy 4th
criminal possession of a weapon 2nd
criminal possession of a weapon 3rd
criminal use of drug paraphernalia 2nd
criminal possession of a forged instrument 1st

Arraigned Feb. 3, 2011, pleaded not guilty

Mack Butler, aka Kobe, 36, Patchogue
charges:
conspiracy 2d
criminal possession of a weapon 2nd
criminal possession of a weapon 3rd
attempted criminal possession of a controlled substance 1st (by weight)
attempted criminal possession of a controlled substance 3rd (intent to sell)
criminal possession of stolen property 4th criminal use of drug paraphernalia 2nd criminal possession of a forged instrument 1st
criminal possession of forgery devices, 2 counts
Arraigned Feb. 3, 2011, pleaded not guilty

James White aka Dog, 39, Riverhead
charges:
conspiracy 2nd
attempted Criminal Possession of a controlled substance 1st (by weight)
attempted Criminal Possession of a controlled substance 3rd (intent to sell)
Arraigned Feb. 3, 2011, pleaded not guilty

Kyle Harris aka Uncle Kyle, 47, Riverhead
charges:
conspiracy 2d
attempted Criminal Possession of a controlled substance 1st (by weight)
attempted Criminal Possession of a controlled substance 3rd (intent to sell)

Brian Stokely aka Little Bow Wow, 26, Flanders
alleged Blood gang member
charge:
conspiracy 2nd

Tristan Jackson, 28, Calverton
alleged Blood gang member
charges:
conspiracy 2
Criminal Sale of a controlled substance 1st by by weight 2 counts
Criminal Sale of a controlled substance 2nd by weight
Criminal Sale of a controlled substance 3rd
Criminal Possession of a controlled substance 2nd (by weight)
Criminal Possession of a controlled substance 3rd (intent to sell) 4 counts
Criminal Possession of a controlled substance 3rd (by weight) 2 counts
Criminal Possession of a controlled substance 4th (by weight)

Tina Greene, 37, Riverhead
charges:
conspiracy 2nd
criminal use of drug paraphernalia 2nd
Arraigned Feb. 3, 2011, pleaded not guilty

Yolanda Miles aka Yay Yo, 23, Riverhead
charge:
conspiracy 2nd
Arraigned Feb. 3, 2011, pleaded not guilty
 

Stanley Griffin aka Griff, 30, Riverhead
alleged Blood gang member
remanded without bail
charge:
conspiracy 2nd
Arraigned Feb. 3, 2011, pleaded not guilty

Charles Pettaway, 22, Flanders
alleged Blood Gang member
charge:
conspiracy 2nd
Arraigned Feb. 3, 2011, pleaded not guilty

Thomas Locolla aka Whitebread, 22, Riverhead
charge:
conspiracy 4th