The Manhattan District Attorney announced today the indictment of 41 people from two Lower East Side public housing developments for allegedly selling hundreds of thousands of dollars of cocaine. The operation, investigators allege, involved 33 members of the “Blocc Boyz” gang at the Baruch Houses, who are “accused of using car services to deliver cocaine to customers throughout Manhattan.” A separate indictment alleges that eight members of the “Money Boyz” gang based at the Campos Plaza development on East 13th Street sold cocaine and crack.
“As this indictment reveals, residents of Manhattan today can get nearly everything delivered to their doorstep – from dinner, to dry cleaning, and even cocaine,” District Attorney Cy Vance is quoted as saying in a press release we received a short time ago. “Unbelievably, they made hundreds of thousands of dollars a year from this service at the same time they were living in city-subsidized housing as NYCHA residents. Hardworking families should not have to live side-by-side with drug dealers poisoning their communities.” Police Commissioner Ray Kelly added, “Many of the suspects in this case have violent histories, including murder, manslaughter, and gang assault. There also are unsolved shootings which we believe involve retaliatory violence among street crews on the Lower East Side.”
The case against the Blocc Boyz is summarized in the press release:
According to the indictment, Blocc Boyz is comprised of members of two Lower East Side street gangs – “Cash is King” and “Stack” – that operated a major cocaine trafficking ring based out of the Baruch Houses, where many of the defendants reside. Since approximately April 2010, the defendants are charged with obtaining, transporting, processing, packaging, selling, and delivering large quantities of powder cocaine to customers throughout Manhattan. Members of the Blocc Boyz are accused of using car services to deliver the drugs to buyers, including to residences on the Upper East Side, the Upper West Side, and Midtown Manhattan, as well as in Brooklyn and Queens. Customers of this ring generally paid $120 per gram of cocaine. Two of the defendants – DERRELL UNDERWOOD, 30, and GERALD ESPINAL, 60 – are employed as livery drivers.
Since late 2011, the D.A. asserted, members of the “Money Boyz” sold “large quantities” of cocaine to undercover police officers. A Campos resident, Christopher Slater, 23, is accused of overseeing the operation.
CHARGES/BLOCC BOYZ
- Anthony Alvarez: Operating as a major trafficker, among other charges
- Robert Amador: Conspiracy in the 2nd degree
- Amaris Aviles: Conspiracy in the 2nd degree
- Rasheem Brown: Conspiracy in the 2nd degree
- Larry Candido: Conspiracy in the 2nd degree
- Michele Cruz: Conspiracy in the 2nd degree, criminal sale of a controlled substance, among other charges
- Stephanie Dominguez: Conspiracy in the 2nd degree, criminal sale of a controlled substance, among other charges
- Gerald Espinal: Conspiracy in the 2nd degree, criminal sale of a controlled substance, among other charges
- William Garcia: Conspiracy in the 2nd degree, criminal sale of a controlled substance, among other charges
- Greily Gomez: Conspiracy in the 2nd degree
- Cristian Hernandez: Conspiracy in the 2nd degree
- Jason Mirabal: Conspiracy in the 2nd degree
- Adam Oquendo: Conspiracy in the 2nd degree, criminal sale of a controlled substance, among other charges
- Jimmy Outlaw: Conspiracy in the 2nd degree
- Wilson Pichardo: Conspiracy in the 2nd degree
- Jose Rios: Conspiracy in the 2nd degree, criminal sale of a controlled substance, among other charges
- Adrian Rivera: Operating as a major trafficker, among other charges
- Elliot Rodriguez: Conspiracy in the 2nd degree, criminal sale of a controlled substance, among other charges
- Mario Rodriguez: Conspiracy in the 2nd degree
- Michael Austin Rodriguez: Operating as a major trafficker, among other charges
- Michael Rosado: Conspiracy in the 2nd degree, criminal sale of a controlled substance, among other charges
- Jahmel Sanders: Conspiracy in the 2nd degree
- Victor Santiago: Conspiracy in the 2nd degree
- Victor Serrano: Conspiracy in the 2nd degree, criminal sale of a controlled substance, among other charges
- Sean Steele, Jr.: Operating as a major trafficker, among other charges
- Derrell Underwood: Conspiracy in the 2nd degree, criminal sale of a controlled substance, among other charges
- Krista Zuniga: Conspiracy in the 2nd degree, criminal sale of a controlled substance, among other charges
CHARGES/MONEY BOYZ
- Elliot Caldwell: Conspiracy in the 4th degree
- Joshua Igartua: Conspiracy in the 2nd degree, criminal sale of a controlled substance, among other charges
- Tasheem Knight: Conspiracy in the 4th degree, criminal sale of a controlled substance
- Kelvin Joaquin: Conspiracy in the 4th degree, criminal sale of a controlled substance
- Christian Manley: Conspiracy in the 4th degree, criminal sale of a controlled substance
- Christopher Slater: criminal sale of a controlled substance (3rd degree), conspiracy in the 4th degree, other charges
UPDATED 3:35 p.m. The Post adds:
The accused king- and queen-pins of the Lower East Side-based “Blocc Boyz” partied hard at a Queens strip joint — “Perfection,” near LaGuardia airport, where accused gangster Krista Zuniga danced — then posted photos of their cavorting onto Facebook and Instagram, officials alleged. Other gangsters posted pictures and YouTube videos of themselves flashing gang signs and waving wads of cash, again making it easy for investigators to chart their affiliations and whereabouts, according to the indictments accusing 41 men and women of conspiracy and drug sales.
Wonderful work, Manhattan DA!
Well maybe if all these Yuppies Stopped snorting it they would be a need for supply & demand! They keep the drugs circulating on the Lows don’t keep them out of this.
Absolutely right! The NYPD needs to go after the customers, as well.
Wow good job DA! There are more out there.
Lock away these low-life scavengers! Perhaps these two housing projects will now be a little safer without these losers! Jaymee blames the Yuppies – but these criminals weren’t only serving LES hipsters – but people throughout the City. These perpetrators are far worse than their customers! Stopping defending these guys!- or you’re part of the problem
I agree with u JB. A lot of the crime in the projects are due to all these gangs and drug dealers that inhabit the apartments here. And it’s not just yuppies that snort coke. People need to look at their friends who are living in the same apartment complex snorting the same coke that these “yuppies” are getting. I personally think that everyone involved are idiots and deserve to not only get caught but loose their apartments. How do u constantly sell to a DT in the first place.? Go back to school, get an education and a real job and stop taking the easy route!!!! smh
so these guys facilitated the life of luxury and convenience for some yuppies, now they will go to prison and their families will be evicted while the yuppies party on and you well trained dogs pant and wag your tails about it.
Did they use New Day or Delancey car service? Or other? Curious about which car service they used…