Drugs, Murder At Housing Complex Near Branch Brook Park: Feds

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — A drug trafficking ring that kept a “ruthless grip” on a public housing complex near the border of Newark and Belleville has been shut down, authorities announced Tuesday.

Over the past year, law enforcement officers have been investigating an “open-air drug market” that operated out of the Stephen Crane Village Housing Complex, which is located near Branch Brook Park.

It hasn’t been an easy task, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The complex is made up of standalone buildings with 354 apartments in total, all of which are accessible via exterior entrances. In addition, the buildings are clustered around courtyards and pedestrian walkways, with roadways bisecting the complex.

Taking advantage of the location and layout at Crane Village, a ring of at least 11 people used the housing complex as a base to sell heroin, fentanyl and crack-cocaine, prosecutors said. Some sales would take place in “Cashville,” an area on the south side of the complex near the railroad tracks.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, investigators painstakingly compiled a body of evidence against the ring:

“Through numerous controlled purchases of narcotics, consensually recorded telephone calls and text messages, physical surveillance and the analysis of telephone call detail records, law enforcement determined that the defendants conspired to distribute narcotics, including heroin, fentanyl and cocaine base in and around Crane Village.”

In addition to drug sales, a murder has been linked to the ring, authorities added.

According to prosecutors, the group used a “stash apartment” on Franklin Avenue to package and store drugs for distribution. In December 2019, one of the ring members, Michael Mayse, 33, entered the apartment and murdered a conspirator over a debt involving narcotic sales.

Mayse and 10 other suspects – all Newark residents – have been charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute:

• Gary Shahid, 60
• Jose Lora, 22
• Dayquan Jordan, 25
• Ricky Terrell, 23
• Charles Mells, 36
• Raquan Rawls, 21
• Nasir Williams, 23
• Quadir Hatcher, 27
• Tyree Purkett, 23
• James Wicker, 27

Jordan, Rawls, Williams, Hatcher and Mayse are additionally charged with distribution of cocaine base and heroin on Nov. 21, 2019.

Mayse is additionally charged with murder during and in relation to a drug trafficking offense.

Seven suspects were arrested Tuesday, and two – Mayse and Mells – were already in state custody. Two people, Rawls and Purkett, remain at large, authorities said.

Police arrested Mayse in December 2019. During a search of his residence, officers found cocaine and heroin, as well as a pair of handguns. Officers also found several items with “blood stains,” including Mayse’s jeans, boots and one of the guns. The blood-stained boots appeared to match the bloody prints left at the murder scene. Ballistics analysis of the discharged shell casings found at the apartment confirmed that one of the guns fired the rounds that killed the victim, according to the criminal complaint.

Prosecutors said the count of conspiracy to distribute at least 28 grams of cocaine base and a quantity of heroin and fentanyl carries a minimum penalty of five years in prison, maximum penalty of 40 years in prison, and a fine of at least $5 million. The count of distribution of a quantity of heroin and cocaine base carries a maximum of 20 years in prison and a fine of $1 million. The count of murder during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime is eligible for the death penalty, or a maximum sentence of life in prison, and a $250,000 fine.

The allegations facing the 11 suspects drew harsh words of condemnation from several law enforcement officials.

Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose – “Once again, collaboration brings results to a community that has been held hostage by a few people. Our support to our federal partners for making another Newark community ridden of criminals.”

Belleville Police Chief Mark Minichini – “Belleville police are committed to reducing violent crimes that directly have an impact on our residents. Today’s arrests send a clear concise message that local, county, and state resources will work together to combat these types of crimes thereby making our community safer.”

U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito – “The criminal complaint against these defendants details a brazen drug dealing operation going on right out in the open that used violence to accomplish its goals. Thanks to the combined work of our federal, state, and local partners, we have been able to address a substantial threat to the public.”

Charlie Patterson, ATF special agent in charge – “Tonight, residents of the Stephen Crane Village Apartments and the Cities of Newark and Belleville can rest a little easier. Through the relentless efforts of our ATF Newark personnel, along with the unmatched dedication of our partner agencies, we have collectively removed the worst of the worst from our community. These individuals worked in tandem as a hybrid gang, whose community spoilage included drug distribution, and murder. Their ruthless grip on the community has been broken thanks to law enforcement cooperation, and a common mission to remove the most dangerous offenders responsible for violent crime from the community.”

Susan Gibson, special agent in charge of the DEA’s New Jersey Division – “No one should have to live in fear in their homes or community. The defendants in this investigation were using Crane Village as their own personal drug market putting every resident at risk. This multi-agency investigation reinforces our commitment to the safety of the public.”

The investigation is part of the Newark Violent Crime Initiative, where the U.S. Attorney’s Office has partnered with state, federal, county, and local law enforcement to investigate crime in Newark and the surrounding cities.

Other agencies that assisted with the investigation include the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Nutley Police Department, the Bloomfield Police Department, the West Orange Police Department, the Verona Police Department, the Orange Police Department and the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office.

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