Alleged Members of 'Bounty Hunter Bloods' Gang Arrested

Eight people, including four Newark residents, were arrested on Wednesday in connection with their alleged roles in a drug trafficking organization that obtained heroin from Essex County and supplied it to Central Jersey, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

The defendants were each charged by complaint with one count of conspiracy to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin. Five of the eight defendants were arrested on Wednesday as part of a coordinated takedown by federal, state and local law enforcement authorities and are scheduled to appear this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Falk in Newark federal court.

According to the complaint, the joint investigation by the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office and the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force relied upon intercepted communications, physical surveillance, controlled heroin purchases, information from confidential sources and other investigative techniques. Law enforcement officers uncovered the operational structure and inner workings of the drug trafficking organization, which enriched a local street gang, the “Bounty Hunter Bloods.”

From October of 2014 through March, the defendants allegedly took part in a scheme to distribute heroin in an area known as “Parkside,” which straddles Franklin Township in Somerset County and New Brunswick in Middlesex County, according to authorities. Members of the drug trafficking organization transported the “raw,” or unpackaged, form of heroin from Essex County to Middlesex and Somerset counties and used stash houses and other temporary locations to package, store and distribute heroin. They allegedly attempted to avoid detection by using code to disguise the nature of their discussions and used prepaid cellular phones for short periods of time.

According to a release, Webb allegedly supplied heroin to Newsom, Miller, and Styles, all of whom lived in and around the Parkside neighborhood. He typically obtained the raw heroin suppliers, including Williams and Peralta. In some cases, Webb drove from Newark to Parkside to deliver the heroin; in other cases, Newsom, Miller, and others traveled to Newark to pick up the drugs from Webb, the release stated.

A release stated that a conspiracy count with which each of the defendants is charged carries a minimum potential penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of 40 years in prison, and a $5 million fine.

The listed defendants are:

· Clarence Webb, a/k/a “Farod,” 40, Newark

· Daniel Newsom, a/k/a “Spree,” 35, Franklin Township

· David Miller, 38, Franklin Township

· Bruce Williams, 37, Newark

· Juan Peralta, 40, Newark

· Anthony McBride, 57, New Brunswick

· Tamir Styles, 37, Franklin Township

· Myisha Wilson, 36, Newark

According to a news release, Williams, McBride and Styles remain at-large.