Reputed Newark Gang Leader Arrested

A 26-year-old reputed Bloods gang leader has been arrested on weapons charges and is accused of being the leader of a "street war" that left at least three people dead in Newark.

Narik "Spaz" Wilson, of Newark, the alleged leader of the Sex Money Murder set of the Bloods street gang, was arrested Friday, according to U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman.

Wilson was charged with two counts of being a convicted felon in possession of firearms. A seven-page criminal complaint unsealed late Friday accuses Wilson and other members of his gang of conducting a "street war" with a rival gang in Newark that left numerous people dead. Authorities said the guns they found were used in some of the shootings.

Law enforcement officials raided two Newark apartments, one in April and another in July, and found an arsenal of guns — including an assault rifle, shotgun and rounds of ammunition that were later connected to Wilson, according to a statement by Rebekah Carmichael, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office.

After the seizures, Wilson allegedly told a confidential witness that he was at war with a rival gang and that law enforcement had seized his firearms from the apartments, according to Carmichael. She said Wilson also said he was trying to obtain more guns.

Acting on a tip, law enforcement officials searched an apartment on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard on April 28. There, they found an assault rifle, a shotgun and a semi-automatic pistol, as well as hundreds of rounds of ammunition, a mask and heroin, according to the complaint.

In a second raid July 18, conducted at a Spruce Street apartment, eight guns, including two assault rifles, two shotguns and other semi-automatic weapons were seized, along with more than 100 rounds of ammunition, two ski masks and cocaine, according to court papers.

The complaint said two firearms seized during the July raid were linked to a double homicide in Newark in 2010 and a homicide in Newark in 2011. It does not give details of the killings.

Officials said they've also linked the seized weapons to 10 other shootings in Newark in 2010 and 2011, but no details were released.

If convicted, Wilson faces up to 20 years in jail and a $500,000 fine.

— Joshua Wilwohl