By: Richard L. Smith
Federal authorities have charged 19 individuals connected to a Jersey City street gang with running a large-scale drug trafficking operation based out of the Salem Lafayette Housing Complex.
According to a statement released by the U.S. Department of Justice, the defendants include Isaiah West, Jamantay Gaines, Curtis Felder, Dorian Garrett, William Washington, Aamir Thomas, Nareef Frimpong, Reakwon Harvey, Pedro Torres, Najon Pettiford, Desmar Rivers, Stephon Turner, Tyler Thornton, Christopher Maldonado, Keiyan Golden, Cornell Bell, Serge Rodriguez, Gerard Crawford, and Alfred Reaves.
The charges stem from a long-running wiretap investigation led by the ATF, DEA, Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, Jersey City Police, and federal prosecutors.
Investigators say the group conspired to distribute fentanyl, crack cocaine, heroin, PCP, and other narcotics across the housing complex and surrounding neighborhoods.
Sixteen suspects were taken into custody and appeared in federal court in Newark, while one was already jailed on state charges and two remain at large.
Authorities described the arrests as a major step in disrupting violent drug organizations that have fueled addiction and crime in Jersey City communities.