Atlantic City Gang Leader Sentenced to Life in Prison

The leader of a criminal street gang that used threats, intimidation and violence to maintain control of the illegal drug trade in Atlantic City was sentenced to life in prison for drug conspiracy and weapons charges, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced Thursday night.

Mykal Derry, a/k/a “Koose,” 35, of Atlantic City, was previously convicted of conspiracy to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin, distributing heroin, maintaining a place for the purposes of storing and distributing heroin, possessing, brandishing and discharging firearms in furtherance of the drug conspiracy and using a communications device in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime following a six-week trial.

His brother, 24-year-old Malik Derry also of Atlantic City, was convicted on the same charges. He still awaits sentencing.

Mykal Derry was the leader of the “Dirty Block” gang, a/k/a “Crime Fam,” “3.6.6.12,” or “3.6,” which operated in a geographic area of Atlantic City and controlled the lucrative drug trafficking area of the Stanley Holmes public housing complex, Brown’s Park and the surrounding area, according to documents filed in the case and statements made in court.

Derry and other members of the group routinely carried loaded handguns and engaged in at least eight drug related shootings between October 2010 and February 2013. This included the April 17, 2011 shooting of a teenager that left the teen paralyzed.

The trial testimony of a cooperating witness established that Derry had his cousin shoot the teenager because he was cooperating with police in an earlier case involving Derry and other drug associates’ assault of the teenager in October of 2010.

The Derry brothers also planned and carried out the shooting murder of a rival drug dealer in Atlantic City on the evening of Feb. 10, 2013.

Mykal Derry told members of his gang that he wanted them to shoot the rival dealer, or “put him down” when they saw him.

Malik Derry shot the victim in the head from close range while riding a bicycle past him as the victim stood in front of an Atlantic City restaurant.

He used a stolen .380 caliber semi-automatic handgun, which was later recovered from the drop ceiling in an apartment located on Green Street in Atlantic City. The apartment belonged to Mykal Derry and his girlfriend, Kimberly Spellman, 34, of Egg Harbor Township, at the time.

Spellman previously pleaded guilty to a superseding information charging her with conspiracy to distribute heroin and awaits sentencing.

Atlantic City police detectives also found 18 “bricks” of heroin (approximately 900 individual packets of heroin) and drug packaging materials inside the apartment.

Evidence presented at trial included recordings of hundreds of telephone calls and text messages between Mykal Derry and over 20 other members of the drug gang, physical evidence including the recovery of twenty firearms, ballistics evidence from shooting scenes, crime scene evidence from eight different shooting scenes in Atlantic City, recovery of substantial quantities of heroin and drug packaging materials, approximately $40,000 in drug proceeds, the testimony of dozens of FBI agents and Atlantic City police detectives, the testimony of ballistics experts, a narcotics expert, and the testimony of two cooperating witnesses who had previously pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking offenses.