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State of New Jersey Commission of Investigation

AFRO-LINEAL ORGANIZED CRIME

March 1991 /8'd.300

State of New Jersey Commission of Investigation

AFRO-LINEAL ORGANIZED CRIME

132300 U.S. Department of Justice Nalionallnst/l!Jte of Justice

This document has been reproduced exactly as received from the pers?n or organization originating it. Points of view or opinions stated In this document. ~re th~se of the ~uthors and do not necessarily repr~sent the official position or policies of the National Institute of Justice.

Permission to reproduce this copyrighted material has been granted by • State of New Jersey/Commission on Tnvestigation to the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS). March 1991 ~urther reproduc.tlon outside of the NCJRS system requires permis­ sion of the cOPYright owner. ~tatr of NrUt ~rr.a2!J COMMISSION OF INVESTIGATION .JAMES R. ZAZZALI 28 WEST STATE STREET .JAMES .J. MORLEY CHAIRMAN CN 045 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR _ARRY H. EVENCHICK TRENTO~J. N.J. 08625 ROBERT.J.CLARK W. HUNT DUMONT (609) 292-6767 DEPUTY DIRECTOR KENNETH D. MERIN TELECOPIER HELEN K. GARDINER COMMISSIONERS (609) 633-7366 ASSISTANT DIRECTOR THOMAS W. CANNON EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT COUNSEL CHARLOTTE K. GAAL CAROL L. HOEK.JE ILEANA N. SAROS .JAMES F. VILLERE~ .JR. March 1991

Governor James J. Florio The President and Members of the Senate The Speaker and Members of the General Assembly

The State Commission of Investigation herewith formally

submits, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 52:9M, a report on its

investigation into matters relating to Afro-lineal organized

crime, including its public hearing held on November 29, 1990.

Respectfully,

~. .. Barry H. Evenchick

;,(~~ ~~!: D. Herin New Jersey Is An Equal Opportunity Employer TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION ...... ,.. 1

AFRICAN-AMERICANS...... 2

THE FAMILY (NORTH)...... 3 NEIGHBORHOOD CRIME GROUPS IN NEWARK...... 4 Paterson Group ...... 4 Ratchford Family ...... ,...... 4 Brown Family ...... 4 Williams Group ...... 4 Lee Group ...... 4 THE FAMILY (SOUTH)...... 4 nJNIOR BLACK MAFIA...... 5 CAMDEN "SETS"...... 5 GAMBLING RINGS...... 6 Leonard Jones Group ...... 6 Gilbert Young Group ...... 7 Lewis Tyler Group ...... 7 Eugene Terry Group ...... 7 Wayne Pack Group ...... 7 E'PORT POSSE...... 7 ISAAC WRIGHT GROUP...... 9 FIVE PERCENTERS...... 12 GANGS...... 16

JAMAICAN POSSES ...... 18

SHOWER POSSE...... 19 SPANGLER POSSE...... 19 DUNKIRK BOYS POSSE...... 20 TEL AVIV POSSE...... 20 'WATERHOUSE POSSE...... 20

NIGERIANS...... 23

COMMON CONCERNS ABOUT AFRO·LINEAL CRIMINAL GROUPS...... 27

BREEDING GROUNDS FOR DURABLE SyNDICATES...... 27 VIOLENCE...... 28 DESTRUCTION OF NEIGHBORHOODS...... 31 BROAD IMPACT AND CONNECTIONS...... 33 CONCEALMENT (HIDING THE WEALTH, CORRUPTION, AURA OF RESPECTABILITy)...... 34 RECOMMENDATIONS...... 36

EMPHASIZE REDUCTION OF DRUG DEMAND...... 37 INCREASE LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT ASSISTANCE AND ENCOURAGE COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION...... 39 INCREASE INTELLIGENCE GATHERING AND SHARING...... 41 TARGET, EXPOSE AND ISOLATE LEADERS...... 43 RETAIN AND EXPAND ORGANIZED CRIME FIGHTING TOOLS...... 46 AFRO-LINEAL ORGANIZED CRIME

The Commission shall have the duty and power to conduct investigations in connection with ... organized crime and racketeering .... (N.J.S.A. 52:9M-2)

... [TJhe Commission shall keep the public informed as to the operations of organized crime .... (N.J.S.A.52:9M-ll)

INTRODUCTION terrorized neighborhoods, corrupted youth and fanned violence in urban areas. The public, media, and even most law enforce­ mentofficials, have traditionally associated the term Afro-lineal criminal groups are particularly "organized crime" with Italian ethnic criminal syn­ threatening because they are heavily engaged in dicates, commonly called La CosaNostra (LCN) or narcotics trafficking, a scourge against all of society theMafia. Tocounterthis narrow point of view, the and a severe impediment to urban revitalization. State Commission of Investigation (SCI or Com­ They also promote significant frauds, high-volume mission) has, for some time, emphasized that LCN, illicit gambling, murder, extortion, official corrup­ while a serious problem, represents only part of the tion and other criminal activities. organized underworld which preys on New Jersey and the rest of the country. For several years, the SCI has developed intelli­ gence on Afro-lineal mobs. These efforts culmi­ Among the criminal groups which should re­ nated in a public hearing on November 29, 1990. ceive more attention than they have in the past are This report summarizes the public hearing and those of African ethnic background. Such Afro­ provides additional information in order to give a lineal organized crime -- composed exclusively or comprehensive review of the problem and recom­ predominantly of persons of African ancestry -­ mendations for dealing with it. In addition, some includes criminal syndicates of African-Americans, successful law enforcement efforts to curtail Afro­ Jamaicans, Nigerians and others. lineal organized crime will be highlighted in antici­ pation that they will be imitated elsewhere in New The neglect of this problem stems, in part, from Jersey. the erroneous stereotype that African ethnic groups lack the stability to organize and are not capable of A survey of New Jersey law enforcement agen­ structuring a syndicate of any consequence. In cies conducted by the Commission concentrated on addition, law enforcement resources are limited, reported activity by African-American, Jamaican and they have been devoted to dealing with more and Nigerian criminal groups in New Jersey. As familiar groups which receive greater media atten­ reported at the Commission's public hearing by SCI tion, probably because they are perceived to threaten Intelligence Analyst Debra A. Sowney, African­ suburban interests. American groups have been identified as active in thirteen counties: Passaic, Bergen, Hudson, Essex, Whatever the cause of the neglect, it has led, in Union, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Atlantic, many areas, to a serious shortage of information Camden, Mercer, Somerset and Morris. They par­ concerning the activities, membership and leader­ ticipate primarily in the distribution of narcotics, ship of Afro-lineal criminal groups. As a result, but they were also reported to be involved in homi­ several have become wealthy and entrenched, with cides, robberies, aggravated assaults and weapons substantial numbers of members. Their leaders are offenses. In addition, the survey, combined with the insulated from police investigations. They have SCI's own intelligence, revealed that African-

I American groups are involved in organized illegal have been aroundfor a long time, particu­ gambling, often in cooperation with La Cosa Nos­ larly in the area of drug trafficking. As an tra, in the counties of Bergen, Essex, Union, Camden, example, in 1968, while I was assigned to the Passaic, Mercer and Hudson. [DEA's] Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, office I investigated an African-American heroin The survey also showed that Jamaican posses trafficking organization which controlled the operated throughout New Jersey. They were re­ heroin distribution in Pittsburgh and identi­ ported to be active in the same thirteen counties fied the source ofsupply for this organization where African-American criminal groups were as an individual in New York. reported, as well as Burlington and Cumberland counties. Jamaican posses primarily distribute drugs In 1972, while assigned to Cincinnati, Ohio, and traffic in weapons, but they also engage in I investigated an African-American heroin homicides, robberies, assaults and extortion. In the trafficking organization, which also con­ survey, several agencies reported that Jamaican trolled the heroin distribution in Cincinnati. posses interact with African-American groups in The source ofsupply for this group was also drug distribution, providing them with narcotics in New York. and using them for transportation. In 1976, while assigned to the Wilmington, Agencies identified Nigerian criminal opera­ North Carolina, office, I investigated a major tions in six counties, Hudson, Essex, Union, Mid­ heroin trafficking organization which was dlesex, Burlington and Mercer. Nigerian groups responsible for bringing into the United specialized in various types of fraud, including false States thousands ofkilos ofpure heroinfrom bank accounts, writing bad checks, forgery, counter­ Southeast Asia during the height ofthe Viet­ feiting, credit card fraud and student loan fraud. nam War. Our investigation revealed that Local groups are small, but they interact with larger this North Carolina-based organization and groups on the national level. Those Nigerians importer of heroin, consisting of well over involved in the smuggling of heroin and cocaine 100 members, was the source of supply to into the United States have not, to date, been linked both individuals inNew York which supplied to the leadership of the organized Nigerian fraud the organizations I referred to in Pittsburgh networks, although both the fraud and narcotics and Cincinnati, as well as other groups in operations have ties to operatives in Nigeria. Detroit, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Richmond andNorfolk. This organization developed a AFRICAN·AMERICANS number of sophisticated methods of smug­ gling heroin into the United States, most of Organized and powerful, African-American which were through the U.S. military chan­ criminal groups have operated in the United States nels. fordecades. One of the witnesses atthe SCI's public hearing, Donald L. Ashton, Special Agent-in-Charge They were ex-military, inactive military, most of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's were master sergeants. They utilized the (DEA) New Jersey Division, testified about his military system in a number of different experiences with such organizations throughout the methods to bring heroin back from South­ country: east Asia. The most notable method, which made the media, was that they were alleged Highly organized, wealthy and dangerous to have brought heroin back in the bodies of African-American organized crime groups dead servicemen.

2 THE FA MIL Y (NORTH) The Muslim [name] Akbar means omnipo­ tent, all powerful, or the great one. In fact, New Jersey has a significant presence of Afri­ Akbar referred to himselfas Akbar Akbar in can-American organIzed crime. AI. Newark-based some cases, or the greatest ofthe great. He cocaine and marijuana trafficking organization, called lived up to this name by assuming control The Family, operates in several area!! of the country. over a vast and durable criminal network. It was headed by Wayne (Akbar) Pra.y for nearly 20 The New World ofI slam initially focused on years until his incarceration in federal prison in supporting bank robberies and even oper­ 1989 for life, without the opportunity for parole. ated a bank robbery school. Pray's drug Pray was convicted for being the "principal admin­ trafficking venture started out in a small istrator" of a substantial cocaine importing and area of Essex County and eventually ex­ distribution organization. At its height, Pray's tended to several states, including Ohio, group had about 300 members and associates. Newark Michigan, New York and Southern Florida. Police Director Claude M. Coleman testified at the SCI public hearing as to the difficulties tmcountered At its height Pray's network had at least 12 in investigating Pray: mid-level supervisors classified by the DEA as Class I violators. A Class I cocaine For some years ... [Pray] was considered to trafficker is defined by DEA as one who has be one of the so-called untouchables, be­ the capability of distributing at least fifty cause he never came close to the [narcotics]. kilos of cocaine on a monthly basis and He was leading the life of wealth and influ­ manages at leastfive subordinate drug traf­ ence,[but] I think everyone knew thathe was fickers. involved in drug dealing .... Nonetheless, he had not been ... brought to justice, so to speak. During Pray's 1989 federal trialfor leading a continuing cocaine and marijuana traf­ Director Coleman related how Pray built up The ficking enterprise, DEA witnesses testified Family through "fear, intimidation and violence," that he was responsible for possessing and directed primarily against rivals for the drug trade. distributing approximately 188 kilograms of Although the group has continued after Pray's in­ cocaine in a five-month period between carceration, Director Coleman described it as "frag­ February and June of1987. In addition, he mented" with several of Pray's former lieutenants was responsible for distributing approxi­ "now dealing on their own as freelancers" and some mately 544 pounds ofmarijuana during the having been incarcerated. same period. It is estimated that Pray's organization was receiving millions of dol­ DEA Special Agent-in-Charge Ashton detailed lars of gross income annually. the past and current status of The Family in testi­ mony at the Commission's public hearing:: Pray's organization is presently operating ... Akbar's African-American organized crime at a much lower and more discrete level with network, called The Family, con.tinues to basically the same structure. Reliable sources operate. It is based in Essex County and have indicated that Pray ... has maintained consists ofover lltVo hundred members. Pray's his customers and contacts and is still over­ organization started in the early 1970s as seeing his drug transactions from prison. [an outgrowth 01] the New World ofIslam.

3 NEIGHBORHOOD CRIME GROUPS IN NEW­ Ernest (Bo), was incarcerated in state prison for ARK murder on June 25, 1982. Another, Phil, was murdered, and the third, Dennis (Mufee), is pres­ In his public hearing testimony Director Cole­ ently in charge of the group, which has 20-25 man descri~ed several criminal groups that take members. advantage of urug markets concentrated in certain Newark neighborhoods. He noted that sometimes Williams Group the territory of one of these groups extends no farther than the environs of a single large building Until he was recently sentenced to 60 years in "in the projects." prison, Roger G. (Little Akbar; Little Ak) Wil­ liams led a cocaine and heroin distribution ring, Paterson Group which had at least 30 members and operated in the Prince Street area of Newark. A close associate of Kenneth (KP) Paterson was a Wayne Pray pro­ Wayne Pray, Williams started his group after Pray's tege who operated a successful cocaine trafficking incarceration. The Williams group was recently ring in the Columbus Home projects for many years involved in a turf war with the Ratchford family in until the buildings which he controlled were aban­ the area of 260 Prince Street. The territorial squab­ doned. Paterson was incarcerated on April 28, bling erupted after a lengthy period during which 1989, after a conviction for distributing drugs to the two groups respected each other's territory. minors. Estimates of the size of this group range Williams is presently incarcerated for homicide. from five street managers and an undetermined number of workers to 20-25 members. Lee Group

Ratchford Family Another group which distributes cocaine in the Prince Street area is headed by Harry (Butch) Lee. This group operates in the area of a single The group is composed of 40-50 members. Lee building at 260 Prince Street. Led by Eddie Ratch­ oversees the group from his residence in the state of ford, once an associate of Wayne Pray, the group Georgia. Director Coleman noted that Lee himself numbers only about 15 members. Director Cole­ is well-insulated from the people that are directly man described the group as "sophisticated" and selling the drugs in New Jersey. "rather violent in defending its territory." Eddie Ratchford is presently in federal prison for cocaine THE FAMILY (SOUTH) trafficking and is scheduled for release on Decem­ ber 17, 1992. His brother, Derrick, is in federal Rivaling the power of The Family headed by prison for drug distribution and is scheduled for Wayne Pray in northern New Jersey, another group release on October 10, 1991. Two other brothers, calling itself The Family distributed heroin and Marvin and Willie, continue the operations of t~e cocaine for nearly 20 years in the Philadelphia area, group. including southern New Jersey. The group was headed by the late Roland (Pops) Bartlett, aresident Brown Family of New Jersey, until his federal conviction in the fall of 1987 for conspiracy to distribute heroin and The Brown group distributes drugs in the 17th operating a continuing criminal enterprise. He was A venue area. It occasionally cooperates with the imprisoned in that case for 35 years with no oppor- Ratchford brothers, according to Director Coleman, and was similarly led by three brothers. One brother,

4 tunity for parole. The Family consisted of approxi­ JBM to thwart the Jamaican h'lfluence and to regain mately 60 members and associates, 35 of whom from the Jamaicans control of dlllg distribution in were indicted with Bartlett in 1987. the affected areas of Philadelphhi.

Bartlett was also convicted in state court on The JBM is estimated to have approximately November 29, 1988, for ordering the contract mur­ 100 members and about 300 street-level associates. der of his Willingboro, New Jersey, neighbor. Bartlett Its members drive expensive cars and often wear was sentenced to life with a minimum 30-year term gold jewelry and rings with the JBM initials en­ in December 1988. He died in federal prison on crusted in diamonds. Originally, admission into the January 15, 1990. group required a $1,000 initiation fee, lack of a criminal record and the operation of an established Bartlett cooperated witb the Genovese-Gigante illegal activity. crime family of La Cosa Nostra and made substan­ tial investments in legitimate businesses. Much of In Philadelphia theJBM has soughttoexpandits The Family's income was invested in the corporate drug trafficking profits by offering independent entities Bartlett Enterprises, Inc. and Domino Rec­ narcotics dealers mem bership in the JBM. The ords, Inc. Among the group's known assets were a Pennsylvania Crime Commission documented two 6O-acre retreat in the Pocono Mountains; five houses, 1989 inBLACK MAFIA office 'of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) while transporting a kilogram of cocaine Based in Philadelphia, the Junior Black Mafia intended for sale in Philadelphia. Just as the old (IBM) is involved primarily in the distribution of Black Mafia from Philadelphia eventually spread drugs, mainly cocaine. It also offers murder con­ into Camden, Burlington, Gloucester, Cumberland tract services. The JBM cooperates with associates and Atlantic counties, it is likely that this rew group of the Bruno-Scarfo LCN crime family in the distri­ of African-American organized criminals will fol­ bution of cocaine and appears to have modeled its low suit. criminal methods after that organization, relying heavily on violence and extortion to further its drug CAMDEN "SETS" enterprises. Three detectives from the Camden Police De­ The JBM came into existence in 1985 to counter partment -- Leonard Hall, George Joyner and Louis a sudden migration of New York-based Jamaican Muzyczek -- testified at the public hearing that posses into the Philadelphia drug scene. Original scattered street-level drug markets in Camden are members of the 1960s Black Mafia (and later Black, controlled by organized groups of youthful drug Inc.) organized African-American youths into the dealers who claim dominance over particular "sets"

5 or areas of operation for drug sales. In response to they do not get directly involved in the distri­ questions by SCI Counsel Charlotte K. Gaal, Detec­ bution of the drugs. In most instances the" tive Muzyczek described these youth gangs: young street dealers have no idea who the ultimate boss is ofthe operation, as the boss Q. What is the age range of these youths? only deals with trusted managers, who in A~ Their ages range between 13 and 24 turn deal directly with the mid-level manag­ years old. ers. We know they are well-organized be­ cause ifwe go into an area and we make five Q. How are the youth involved in the drug arrests on a corner today, tomorrow there trade structured or organized? will be five more people ... out there to A. The drug dealing youth are structured replace them. into sets which vary in size and area of operation. The controlling elements of the GAMBLING RINGS young street dealers in Camden are outside the city, and they are insulated by means of Historically, many ardent supporters of illegal mid-level managers. numbers gambling were in the African-American community. Illegal lottery operations run by Afri­ can-American groups continue to thrive in New Q. Can you give us some examples ofsets in Jersey's urban areas despite the existence of a legal Camden? state lottery. Unlike the state lottery, illegal lottery A. We have approximately 38 active sets operations have no minimum wager. They also throughout the city. They label themselves offer better odds and extend short-term credit to the by some street corner names like the 24th bettors. Finally, convenience and cultural traditions Street Posse, the 32nd Street Posse, and so play a role in the continued existence of illegal forth. numbers.

Q. What is the racial composition of these Leonard Jones Group sets? A. Some of the sets are racially mixed, Over the decades, the illegal lotteries and num­ Hispanic and black. Approximate composi­ bers games were actually controlled by La Cosa tion of these sets throughout the city, of the Nostra, and black operatives worked within the total of38 that we know, 75 percent I would framework established by them. Today, LCN con­ estimate are black and 25 percent are His­ trol has begun to diminish in some areas of New panic. Jersey.

Q. How many principals control the 38 sets LeonardA. (Benny the Bum) Jones has operated in Camden, in your opinion? an independent black numbers gambling network A. I would say there are no more than seven for years in Camden, Burlington and Gloucester to 10 individuals who control all of the sets counties. In 1989, the New Jersey State Police in the City of Camden. arrested Jones and several of his underlings for operating an illegal lottery. They were subse­ Q. Are the sets organized? quently indicted by a state grand jury on July 19, A. Thefact that the sets are organized is not 1990, for operating an illegal lottery. The case is in doubt. The problem is being able to awaiting trial. Based on the records seized at the identify the controlling individuals, since time, it was estimated that Jones' operation netted

6 ------.------

over $1 million per year. work in Elizabeth and the Clinton A venue area of Newark. In March 1988, working with the Union Gilbert Young Group County Narcotics Strike Force and the State Police, the Elizabeth Police Detective Division began making Another numbers operation in Camden County a series of undercover narcotics buys from street is run by Gilbert R. (Buck) Young. Young is level dealers near the Pioneer Homes housing proj­ associated with Frank A. DiSalvio, an associate of ect in Elizabeth. The investigation was dubbed the Bruno-Scarfo organization of La Cosa Nostra, Operation Pioneer. who last year fled New Jersey to avoid an SCI subpoena. The group lays off bets to the Bruno­ After search warrants and arrests in November Scarfo mob. 1988, Detective Swan was able to develop a confi­ dential informant, Mutah Sessoms, who revealed Lewis Tyler Group that the vast majority of those arrested in Operation Pioneer were part of organizations controlled by In northern New Jersey African-American ille­ two brothers, Robert and Bilal Pretlow. After the gal gambling operatives work with the LCN. For arrests, the two groups merged under the leadership example, Lewis H. Tyler of Jersey City runs a of the younger brother, Bilal. Organization mem­ ga.'nbling and narcotics operation in conjunction bers called themselves the E'Port Posse, Phase II, with the Genovese-Gigante crime family. after the Elizabeth Seaport, and modeled them­ selves after Jamaican posses, often dressing in flam­ Eugene Terry Group boyant style, arming themselves with sophisticated weapons and investing in expensive jewelry. Sev­ Also in Jersey City, Eugene Terry, Sr., is the eral expensive cars driven by group members were leader of a black gambling syndicate which also placed in the names of their acquaintances or rela­ operates in conjunction with the Genovese-Gigante tives. crime family. Terry, along with his brother, Steven (Buzz) Terry, is also involved in the financing of a Starting out as a marijuana dealerin high school, cocaine distribution network. Bilal Pretlow eventually grabbed the drug market for his and his brother Robert's organization and ran Wayne Pack Group rival gangs out of Elizabeth, occasionally with shootouts -- some in broad daylight. Detective In Trenton an African-American known as Wayne Swan testified as to the grandiose style in which Pack conducts an illegal lottery which lays off to Bilal Pretlow pursued his goal to expand: Gambino-Gotti LCN associate Anthony (Pushy) Pulcinello. Under changing leadership, this opera­ Bilal convened a meeting of drug dealers tion has been in existence since 1954. In its early from all over Elizabeth in a central New years, its leaders dealt with the Bruno-Scarfo LCN Jersey restaurant. There he indicated his family. intention to control drug trafficking in the Elizabeth area and threatened that those E'PORT POSSE who would not go along would face repri­ sals. At the Commission's public hearing Elizabeth Police Detective Thomas G. Swan testified about a Detective Swan testified that the group's co­ particularly vicious group of young African-Ameri­ caine supply came from a Dominican by the name of can males that operated a cocaine trafficking net- Benson, who was located in New York City. The

7 cocaine was generally transported to Elizabeth in eight-hour period, and each is restricted to taxi cabs. In 1989 the group was distributing kilo­ approximately five, maybe ten minutes at a grams of cocaine resulting in profits up to a hundred time. Bilal Pretlow, however, ingratiated thousand dollars a week. himself with other inmates by getting his underlings to post bailfor them. He bought Law enforcement strengthened its resolve to them gifts and promised them jobs upon his deal with the E 'Port Posse as the violence surround­ release. Those jobs were in his drug distri­ ing its operations escalated. Mutah Sessoms, the butionoperation. Inone instance he bought informant, was murdered in June 1989. Robert $70 Reebok sneakers for all the inmates on Pretlow was slain by a rival gang on July 9, 1989. his tier, which numbered in excess ofthirty­ The next day, a third Pretlow brother, Thomas, five. The inmates returnedfavors by giving killed Bobby Ray Davis, a Newark drug trafficker up their allotted telephone time to Pretlow. with designs on the Pretlow turf, in retaliation for This alone, though, does not adequately Robert Pretlow' s death. The federal Drug Enforce­ explain to us ... the extensive use of the ment Administration, Union County Sheriff's Of­ telephone [from thejailJ. fice, Newark Police and Essex County Sheriff's Office joined the Elizabeth Police, State Police and On January 18, 1991, Thomas Pretlow was Union County Prosecutor's Office in the investiga­ convicted of manslaughter in the fatal shooting of tion. Sessoms' description of an organized criminal Bobby Ray Davis. Federal charges brought by the enterprise was taken seriously at all levels. United States Attorney for New Jersey are pending against B ilal Pretlow and eight other mem bers of his Detective Swan testified how Bilal Pretlow group. Bilal Pretlow faces the death penalty on two continued to run the operation even while incarcer­ of the charges brought under a new federal law ated: which provides for capital punishment for persons convicted of drug-related murders. He is presently At the time ofthe November 1988 and subse­ scheduled to begin trial in federal court in Newark quent arrests, BUal Pretlow had paid bail on March 26, along with eight other members of his and attorneys fees for his group members. group charged with participating in the drug ring While in the Union County Jail on various and various other offenses. Bilal Pretlow is pres­ drug charges, he continued to run his or­ ently serving a 20-year sentence in state prison ganization by calling telephones equipped stemming from a drug trafficking conviction in with speed dialing, call forwarding and November: 1989 arising out of Operation Pioneer. conference call capabilities. Telephone toll records to the apartment used by Shawn In December 1990 Husamiddi Williams was Hartwell, his first lieutenant who ran the sentenced to 13 years in federal prison after plead­ operation in his absence, showed nearly 400 ing guilty to charges of possession of cocaine with collect calls from the Union County Jail intention to distribute and possession of weapons in from December 1988 to early February 1989. furtherance of illegal drug activity. Williams ran a Many of these calls were for extended peri­ "franchise" at Sixth and South Park streets in Eliza­ od;; ,'}ftime. Some lasted more than an hour. beth for the E'Port Posse for more than a year until Vve had one or two going into three and a he was arrested in August 1989. He employed at half hours. least four juveniles to assist in the drug sales. Wil­ liams was apprehended by Elizabeth detectives after Normally the inmates are allowed use the a shootout between Williams and rival drug dealers. public telephone at the jail during a specific

8 Detective Swan testified that police seized $270,000 ment. Mr. Wright indicated to the police at in cash, 19 guns, five cars and about $30,000 in that point that he hadn't seen anyone. The jewelry from Bilal Pretlow and his underlings. police asked for permission to search the apartment.' It was granted, and they found ISAAC WRIGHT GROUP Mr. Earvin hiding under the bed in the bedroom. They also found a large quantity Somerset County Prosecutor Nicholas L. Bis­ of cash on the table in the apartment. sell, Jr., testified at the Commission's public hear­ ing about the operations of a cocaine trafficking ring In addition to that, in March of 1988 Fred that plagued housing projects in Somerset and Dickerson, also known as Fred Gilbert, was Middlesex counties. He described how various law arrested by members of our office and the enforcement agencies first came into contact with Franklin Township police in possessionofin members ofthe group and how this led to a success­ excess of700 vials of cocaine. He was also ful cooperative effort to short circuit its operations using a vehicle owned or leased by Isaac and bring its alleged leader, Isaac Wright, Jr., to Wright!, and] Isaac Wright provided bail trial: money for these people to post bail after they were arrested. Q. Please describe the operation of [the Isaac Wright] group and the roles played by All of them indicated during the course of various individuals in it and the efforts by interrogation that they were involved in an law enforcement to discover it and curtail its operation that was run by Isaac Wright, and, activities. based on that information and continuing A. Our office first ber-ame aware of this intelligence, we determined that the group group when the Franklin Township Police was operating in the Franklin Township Department reported to us that they had area, primarily at the Edgemere and Parkside made observations [of a] member of the apartment complex and in the Robeson Vil­ group, Willie (Chill Will) Sirmans, in Octo­ lage area in New Brunswick, also an apart­ ber of1988. Mr. Sirmans was ajuvenile at ment complex. And based on that informa­ the time operating a Lincoln limousine with tion we began an investigation targeting Mr. a forged driver's license, the limousine Wright and the rest of the organization. belong[ing] to an Isaac Wright of Edison, New]ersey, and Mr. Sirmans at the time was also carrying a ... telephone pager that was Q. Where did the cocaine come from, and registered to Mr. Wright. how much of it was being sold? A. The investigation revealed that Wright In February of1989 the Edison Police De­ supplied cocaine to these people for sale, partment had contact with Ernest Earvin, buying approximately two to three kilograms another member of the group. He was of cocaine per week. The supplier that was stopped for a routine traffic check, and the identified during the course ofthe investiga­ police, during the check, noticed a bag with tion was Roberto Alexander ofPassaic City, 884 vials of cocaine in the back of a motor a Dominican national with cocaine sources vehicle belonging to Mr. Wright. During in New York City, and also afonner Brooklyn that contact Mr. Earvinfled the scene, was Dodgers minor league baseball player. followed to an apartment in Edison, and it turned out that it was Mr. Wright's apart-

9 Wrightwouldpick up the cocainefromAlex­ the relationship between our office, Mid­ ander in Passaic, and it would then either be dlesex County Prosecutor's Office, Fran­ transported to a safe house in New Brun­ klin and New Brunswick Police Depart­ swick or to an apartment at 455 Elizabeth ments. And we formed a unit known as the Avenue in Newark, that apartment having­ Border Anti-Drug Team [BAT] to deal spe­ specifically been rented by Dickerson, or in cifically with this investigation and with Dickerson's name, along with Wrightfor the successor organizations. Essentially [the purpose of cutting the cocaine. There was BAT] unit provides personnelfrom each of nothing in the apartment other than a table the offices that! mentioned to work in a and a couple ofchairs and instruments to cut specific area and on a specific problem. So and package the cocaine into vials for sale. we have a BAT unit, if you will, that exists that deals with the Somerset, Middlesex, We estimate, based on the guilty plea en­ Franklin Township, New Brunswick border, tered by Mr. Sirmans, that in his case alone and recently we've expanded that to the ... he distributed approximately $i5,OOO worth eastern portion of Somerset County where ofcocaine per week. And extrapolating that we share a border with Union County. And we estimated that the group was good for the Union County Prosecutor's Office, along annual gross sales of approximately $20 with the Middlesex County Prosecutor's million. Office, our office, North Plainfield, Plain- field, South Plainfield and Piscataway Po­ Q. SCI now we've got this group operating, lice Departments, and! believe also Edison, in addition to Middlesex and Somerset have provided personnel. And we formed Counties, also in Essex County and Passaic that unit to do the same thing in that area. County? A. Yes, sir. Q. This BAT operation is ongoing, then? A. Yes, it's ongoing in two areas. Andwhat Q. Did your office cooperate with other law it does is it allows these units to focus on a enforcement agencies in the investigation of particular problem in a particular area with­ the Wright group? out being concerned about being moved A. Yes, we did. [As] the scope of the because of resources or other demands or operation was revealed, '" we contacted the other .. , law enforcement problems that may agencies from those various localities and exist. jurisdictions. And the first that we were involved with was the Middlesex County Q. Did electronic surveillance help in bring­ Prosecutor's Office. And this operation ing down the Wright group? became a joint operation with that office. A. Yes, this group was unique because they And as the investigation expanded we be­ did not operatefrom afixed location. They came involved with the Passaic County Prose­ essentially operated out of the automobiles cutor's Office, the Franklin Township Po­ that Wright leased for the members of the lice Department, the New Brunswick Police group, and they contacted each other by use Department and the New Jersey State Po­ ofcellular telephones and telephone paging lice, as well as the Essex County Sherif.{ s devices. So, we obtained a court order, and Narcotics Unit. with the help of the State Police, who provided us the technology, we were able to This operation led to the [formalization] of bug two ofthe vehicles. And those bugs led

10 significantly to the results o/this investiga­ that. tion. In addition, for example, when they leased For example, without the bugs we would not the apartment in Newark Wright picked a have been able to know when Wright was location, he brought Dickerson with him, meeting Alexander on July 25, [1989], for and Dickerson signed the leasefor the apart­ the pick up ofthe narcotics and we would not ment. Wright's name doesn't appear on the have, in all probability, been able to not only lease. He also instructed these people, Earvin arrest Wright with [the] product, but also to and Dickerson, on how to instruct the run­ arrest Alexander and then get a search war­ ners with respect to ... not keeping cash and rant, execute that search warrant on his narcotics together. He provided for inter­ house and seize yet another three kilos ofco­ mediaries when they were arrested to post caine .... bail so the bail didn't come directly from him, but at the same time his people didn't stay injailfor any significant length oftime. Q. Now, when you talk about the electronic surveillance, did the State Police supply the In addition to that, he owned a ... recording expertise and you supplied the equipment? company in New York known as Express A. Yes. What happened was we contacted Records, which we believe was essentially a the State Police because ... our people knew cover for the narcotics operation, while his what we wanted to do, but we didn't have the wife was a member of a recording group technology, and the State Police Electronic known as the Cover Girls. We also discov­ Surveillance Unit provided us with the know­ ered in his apartment two sets oftax returns how, so to speak, the technology. And they indicating the use of an alias on his part to put us in contact with someone who could further cover the nature of the operation. build for us that particular equipment that we needed .... And without their assistance Q. What's the status of the Wright group we would not have been able to do it. And now? since then we've shared that technology A. .., [Tlwelve people were arrested as a with them, as well. result of this operation. With the exception ofWright, who is awaiting trial, and Earvin, Q. How did Wright attempt to insulate who will shortly enter a guilty plea, all himselffrom the activities of his underlings others have entered gUilty pleas, with the and from law enforcement detection? exception of two whose charges were dis­ A. Wright only dealt with two people, essen­ missed. They were relatives of Alexander tially, directly, and that was Earvin and who were arrested when his house was Dickerson. Dickerson and Earvin then dealt searched and the cocaine was found and his with all the others. So there was very little gUilty plea exonerated them from involve­ direct contact with respect to distribution of ment. cocaine between Wright and street dealers such as Sirmans. In addition to that, all the contacts were made through the pagers, the Q. Wright stillfaces jail time? telephone pagers that he provided. There A. Yes, he's in the Somerset County Jail and were no telephone calls from a fixed loca­ awaiting a trial scheduledfor [early] 1991. tion, such as Wright's home or anything like

11 FIVE PERCENTERS den, Irvingt.on, parts .of Newark, Jersey City, Camden, Atlantic City, Trent.on, Paters.on, Plainfield, M.ount At its public hearing the SCI heard testimony H.olly andPembert.on T.ownship. They are presently from an electr.onically disguised f.ormer member.of c.oncentrated in M.onm.outh and Ocean c.ounties with a gr.oup which vari.ously calls itself the Five Percen­ approximately 14 chapters numbering ab.out 300 t.o ters, the Five Percent Nati.on .or the Gods. Als.o, 400 members in M.onm.outh C.ounty, acc.ording t.o Louis L. J.ordan, an Investigat.or with the Monm.outh Detective J.ordan. C.ounty Prosecut.or's Office with extensive experi­ ence in tracking the gr.oup's members and activities, In additi.on t.o devel.oping a prejudiced and testified at length. demeaning cultural dogma, the Five Percenters became a haven f.or those engaged in criminal ac­ Particularly tr.oubling ab.out the Five Percenters tivities, primarily narc.otics distributi.on. is the existence .of racist attitudes and criminal activities behind the facade .of a culture with reli­ investigat.or J.ordan testified that investigations gi.ous .overt.ones. The d.ogma underlying the gr.oup have revealed Five Percenters "inv.olved in every­ .originated in New Y.ork City in 1964 when the late thing fr.om criminal mischief t.o murder, ars.on, . Malc.olm X expelled the late Clarence 13X fr.om the burglary, robbery, aggravated assault, p.ossessi.on.of Nati.on .of Islam (better known as the Black Mus­ a weap.on .... " He emphasized that religi.ous teach­ lims) fDr adulterating the beliefs .of that m.ovement. ings are .only a nominal part .of the m.ovement: While the Muslims believe that blacks sh.ould re­ spect themselves and their fell.ow human beings and Q. Since they are an offshoot ofa religious that blacks sh.ould take their rightful place in s.oci­ movement, we should clarify one thing. Are ety, Clarence 13X p.ostulated that black men (n.ot all Five Percenters involved in violence and women) are gods, that black men are the s.ole crea­ crimes? t.ors and c.ontr.ollers .of the Earth and that whites are A. No, they are not. devils. Q. How many would you say are? Clarence 13X's teachings included the d.ogma A. I have met, in my experience since 1980, that 85 percent .of the world's populati.on are blacks of tracking, two families that have not been Wh.o, like cattle, have strayed away from "true involved in any way,form or fashion with the teachings." Ten percent are the white "devils," wh.o negative aspects. However, the rest J've are n.ot t.o be trusted. The remaining five percent are found to be all involved in criminal activity the "pure righte.ous teachers" .or ".originals," Wh.o must lead the cattle back t.o the "true way." Thus, the gr.oup came t.o be called Five Percenters .or G.ods. S.ome Hispanics and Sicilians are allowed int.o Five Q. When you say families, you mean­ Percenter groups, as they may be c.onsidered t.o be A. Mother,father, children. "half-.originals," tracing themselves t.o black ances­ try .or relati.ons. Under questi.oning by SCI Deputy Direct.or and C.ounsel R.obert J. Clark, the disguised witness tes­ In the 1980s the Five Percenters migrated from tified ab.out the difference between Five Percenters New Y.ork t.o New Jersey and several .other states. involved in criminal activities and those wh.o are They became active in Asbury Park, L.ong Branch, not: Red Bank, Freeh.old B.orough, Bradley Beach, Aberdeen, Lakew.o.od, Matawan, Elizabeth, Lin-

12 Q. Are Five Percenters involved in criminal young men [and] young women in the better activity? understanding of their culture. We have A. Five Percenters are involved in drug found that a lot of them are involved in sales, sales of guns, robbery, stolen cars, narcotics trafficking, ... that is, that they are chop shops, murder, all types of criminal going out, instead ofattending the meetings, activities. for example, the bus takes themfrom here to New York City, some will attend the rallies, Q. Can a Five Percenter choose not to be in­ the others will stray away and be involved in volved in criminal activity? a lot of narcotics trafficking and bringing A. Yes, he can. the drugs back across the line.

Q. What would this be called by the move­ Q. Are these places where they learn tech­ ment? niques for the distribution of narcotics? A. He would be leading a pure righteous A. They learn that, as well as New Jersey, life. New York and Pennsylvania law.

Q. So the pure righteous life is a Five Q. Learning the law is a means ofprotecting Percenter who is not involved in criminal themselves against it? activity? A. That's very true. A. Yes. The disguised witness elaborated on the activi­ Q. How many of the Five Percenters that ties at the Five Percenter universal rallies: you know live the pure righteous life? A. About 15 percent. Q. You said rally? A . Yes, sir, [they] usually go to the rally in Investigator Jordan detailed how Five Percen­ Central Park in New York City. ters spread their doctrine and expand their criminal activities: Q. DopeoplejromNewJerseyattendthese rallies? Q. We've heard ofoperations called univer­ A. Yes, they do. sal rallies. Could you explain what that is? A. That's normally a place set up by some­ Q. Five Percenter members from New Jer­ one in that movement where they go and they sey? have meetings. One ofthe key places where A. Yes. they go to have these rallies is in N ew York City. We have also tracked them since 1980 Q. What is the purpose for a rally? as having their rallies down in Florida, A. To bring out existence, to gain knowledge Great Adventure in Jackson [Township, New of self. Jersey] and also several parks [within] the State of New Jersey, such as Shark River Q. Is there any other purpose for these Park in Neptune and several other parks in rallies? Monmouth, Middlesex and Ocean counties. A. Certain members use the rally for certain things like to make connection for drugs, Q. What is the purpose of these rallies? guns or whatever they into at that time. A. The purpose is supposedly to educate the

13 The Five Percenters have run into some barriers that is earned? to the spread of their organization. In answer to A. It goes to support the Five Percent Commissioner Kenneth D. Merin's questions, In­ Nation. The money from the criminal activi­ vestigator Jordan testified that Five Percenters ties is shared among the members. "initially n. would go in and set up in places where there is a constant denial of their existence, just Q. Are the profits passed up to a leader? giving them a lever to operate, if you will .... " He A. There is not really one certain leader. explained one reason why they are not well-estab­ [They] are more of a group activity. lished in some places, such as Newark: Q. Are there people called kingpins? [IJn Newark there is the Muslimfaith, which A. Yes. is very strong there, as well as in New York; and they denounce what the Five Percenters Q. And do they operate in different areas? are doing. And as a result of that it is very A. Yes. difficult for the Five Percenters to get a foothold. You have to understand also that Q. Do they receive a share of the profits? it is taboo in the M uslimfaith to call yourself A. Yes. a god, so here you have these gentlemen calling themselves gods and the Muslim community just does not want to hear that, Q. Who decides what type of crimes a so they denounce what they are doing. particular group of Five Percenters will commit? Investigator Jordan described the subservient A. It's usually a group activity. Someone role of women in the organization: decides to do a certain crime, and the rest agree. It's like a Mafia type thing where Women, for the most part, are basically an they are all a family and they make a deci­ auxiliary. They are used,for the most part, sion as a group. to be impregnated, to have the children ... to keep the movement going . ... {WJe'vefound that [those on welfare or state aid turn it] Q. Do you know of any Five Percenter over to the movement. Part of that is then kingpins in New Jersey? give n back to them. A majority ofit is turned A. Yes. over into narcotics trafficking .... Q. In what area do you know of them? Five Percenters are apparently not consistently A. Asbury Park. responsive to a centralized leadership. Leaders in the movement may be called ministers, Allah, Fa­ Q. Could you give their righteous names? ther Teacher, Father Allah, and the like, according A. King Nijee and Knowledge Supreme. to Investigator Jordan. The disguised witness fur­ ther descri bed the leadership and organization of the Five Percenters and the division of profits from Q. Have both these kingpins been involved illegal activities: in drug distribution? A. Yes. Q. What happens to the proceeds of Five Percentercriminal activity, that is the money

14 Q. What kind of drugs have they sold? the Five Percenter Nation. And again we A. Whatever the traffic demands they sell, lookfor that negative attitude. but it's mostly cocaine and marijuana. Q. Is there any kind ofdistinctive dress that Q. Where do they get their supply of co­ Five Percenters wear? caine? A. It changes from area to area. Here in A. They go up to, like 135thStreetor 185th Trenton I understand they do wear a certain Street, Upper Manhattan or the Bronx and manner of dress, but down in Monmouth buy the cocaine from the Dominicans. County ... they no longer wear it.

Q. Where do they get their supplies of Q. Would you watch for people wearing a marijuana? lot ofjewelry? A. From the Jamaicans in Queens and A. Yes, I would, large amounts of gold, Harlem. beepers, and in short we just lookfor that ((Mr. T starter kit", so to speak. Q. Are any ofthese Jamaicans Five Percen­ ters themselves? Q. Is there any particular language or A. Yes. jargon that the Five Percenters use? A. Yes, there is. Other than calling them­ selves righteous, they use [names, such as] Q. Would you say that the Five Percent ... Master Born, King Understanding, Wis­ Nation is an organized crime group? dom Knowledge, Divine Power, Righteous A. Yes. God, Queen Asiatic.

Q. And why would you say that? Q. Are these substitutes for their given A. They sell drugs, they steal cars, they do names, or do they use them alternatingly? burglaries, commit murder, they have police A . You have to understand that they say this working for them. I guess you could say they is their righteous name and they refer to the were an organized crime group. term righteous. The name that they have, such as Johnson or Jones or Smith, is an Investigator Jordan described how localities can "enslaved name," and they do not accept detennine if they have a Five Percenter presence: that, even though if you were to challenge them ... in law enforcement, they will always Q. How do you, as a law enforcement give their government name, but that is only member, identify a Five Percenter or an because of all the press that they've been area where there is Five Percenter activity? getting lately. Normally they use their right­ A . ... [W]e lookfor the graffiti around the eous names. buildings, public places, and the telephone booths, the curbing. We lookfor the nega­ Q. Do some gangs that are not composed of tive attitude by the members. At one time Five Percenters adopt some ofthe trappings they were easily identifiable. They used to of Five Percenters in order to make them­ wear the knitted skull caps and [lens]less selves more intimidating? glasses .... Now we are identifying them with A. Yes, we have that, as well, where we have a halfcrescent moon and star with a number gang members that ... call themselves Five 7 in it, which is their logo, which represents Percenters, even though they are really not,

15 just because the Five Percenters are basi­ or COOOGA). He outlined the organization's struc­ cally the dominant gang in Monmouth County. ture and activities at the Commission's public hear­ ing: Q. Have you heard of a term, Jive Percen­ ters? Q. What is that organization and what does A. Yes, I have. Those are what ... some true, it do? so-called, Five Percenters say are the ones A. [C03GA] was ... started in 1980 byfour who are just setting a name for themselves, concerned police officers, from the Asbury who are actively involved in all the different Park and Neptune Police departments who types of crimes and so forth. felt that gang violence was on the rise, who also felt that there was a lot of denial with One multi-kilo cocaine distribution network in respect to the growth ofgangs, and who felt Atlantic City had substantial connections to the Five this was a contributingfactor to the tremen­ Percenters. Its leader, Hakeem Abdul Shaheed (aka dous drug problem that we have in our state Robert E. Molley or Midget Molley), and most of its today, that constant denial . ... [T]hft Con­ 60 some members were Five Percenters. Shaheed, cerned Officers Organization basically tracks a resident of Vineland, called his group the Aso gangs. What we do is monitor groups that Posse and often flaunted his drug-financed wealth are out there, youth groups, as well as adult by wearing a gold crown. groups, and ifwefind that they are involved in gang activity or they take up criminal Victor (Shorty) Fernandez, a Dominican who activity, we inform not only the local police lived in Edgewater, New Jersey, was the principal department, but the community as a whole. supplier of cocaine to Shaheed's organization. In February 1989, Shaheed, Fernandez and 18 mem­ Q. This is a non-profit organization? bers of the Aso Posse were arrested by federal A. Non-profit, self-supporting, civilian-run authorities, who estimated that Shaheed's organiza­ organization that also does a lot ofcounsel­ tion was obtaining and distributing $1 million worth ing with gang members. of cocaine per month in the Atlantic City projects. Shortly after Shaheed's arrest, several Jamaican Q. Does it have any ties to law enforcement, drug dealers from Brooklyn moved into the Atlantic aside from the members being from law en­ City projects to take over his territory. S haheed was forcement, a lot of them? convicted, and on January 22, 1990, he was sen­ A. No ties. tenced to 19 years in prison. Q. Are the members of this organization GANGS both black and white, male andfemale? A. That's correct. While testifying specifically about the Five Percenters, Investigator Jordan described the gang Q. And it works with civic organizations? problem in general. He noted that although there are A. Yes, we will work with any organization about 14 Five Percenter chapters in Monmouth that is in the State of New Jersey or else­ County, there are approximately 68 gangs in that where to help combat this juvenile delin­ county involved in criminal activity. quency problem or gang problem.

Investigator Jordan is a member of Concerned Q. Does it work with law enforcement Officers Organization On Gang Activities (C03GA agencies?

16 A. Yes, sir, definitely. find that, whether the gang structure was there or not, this particular group would still Q. In what capacity? be involved in some form of criminal activ­ A. Seminars, training, identifying active ity. gang members that are involved in an ongo­ ing investigation of crime where a pattern Next we see the pyramid structure, ... every­ has been set. body at the bottom catering to the person at the top. All movements within this gang are Q. And this organization studies gangs that controlled ... by that person at the top. This are not just Five Percenters, is that right? is the structure you will more than likely see A. That is correct. when-you start to talk about narcotics traf­ ficking with respect to this gang. It is organ­ Investigator Jordan elaborated on C03GA's ized in that sense. definition of a gang and described the various types of gang leadership encountered: The intrigue or wanHo-be structure is noth­ ing more than a bunch of loose balls at­ Q. In general, is there a definition that you tached by a single thread. These are the up use to describe a gang ... ? and coming members who have not yet been A. Yes, we say that there must be four involved in criminal activity, who are still elements that must be met ... for them to be learning their lessons or are still studying, if classified as a gang. The first one is they you will, they are the want-to-bes. Mostly, must have an identifiable leader. That lead­ you willfind this gang operating in terms of ership structure, weak or structured in na­ leadership [somewhere] between the pyra­ ture, must be there. mid or concentric circle or bull's-eye struc­ ture. [Second,] we say that they must have a geo­ graphic area or tUr/that they call their own. [Third, w] e say that they must meet on a con­ Q. Are you saying that the leadership fluc­ tinuous or regular basis. [The} fourth ele­ tuates or changes to meet the needs of the ment certainly must be there, and that is that • organization or different criminal enterprises they must be involved in juvenile delin­ that it's involved in? quency or criminal activity. If you have all A. Yes. four ofthose elements you have what we call the working deffnition of a gang. Q. So, it's fluid, the leadership? A. Yes, it is.

[Wjith respect to leadership, '" we look at Q. Are there certain higher leaders that three different types ... [--] a bull's-eye, a command attentionfrom the members more pyramid, and an intrigue structure .... lfyou than others? visualize with me, if you will, a bull's-eye, A. Yes, there are. Atpresentwe are in court wefind with this particular structure there is with several. On the street now, at least in no real identifiable leadership to this gang. Monmouth County, there are not too many. We also find that the closer you get to the Most of our leaders are incarcerated or center ofthis bult s-eye the closer you get to pending trial, but we do have several on the the hard core members ofthe gang. We also street that are out there that are trying to

17 build themselves to take over the leaders' the Shower and Spangler groups have been bitter places. enemies because of their political differences. Mem bers of the Shower Posse are avid supporters of JAMAICAN POSSES the Jamaican Labor Party, while Spangler Posse members have been solidly behind the opposition Born in the poverty and political turmoil of Peoples National Party. Kingston, Jamaica, violent, struct.ured organized crime groups spread to the United States during the Typically, posse members and associates use last two decades. Jamaican criminal gangs adopted aliases, nicknames and false identification. Most the term "posse" because of their fondness for who enter the United States are here illegally. They American western films and because the word con­ are very adept at obtaining phony drivers licenses, noted the use of violence to enforce political will birth certificates, passports, citizenship cards and and to protect neighborhoods from intrusion by naturalization certificates. They are also very mobile. rival gangs. Each posse eventually came to be structured, with a particular leader -- sometimes Under questioning by SCI Deputy Director Clark, called a general -- and a substructure divided into a disguised Jamaicatt posse associate testified about cells. Cell leaders are sometimes called captains or the posses' operations in New Jersey: lieutenants. Q. Where in New Jersey were the posses The initial impetus for the migration of Jamai­ active? can posse members to the United States in the 1970s A. Well, [there are] different posse figures was simply the need for funds to obtain sophisti­ from different groups, and they are active in cated weapons to be used in the perpetual gang East Orange, Englewood, Paterson, New­ warfare in Kingston. Once in this country, posses ark and I would say to a lesser extent in were soon able to take over marijuana distribution Hackensack. Also in Port Elizabeth there networks of nonviolent Jamaicans who preceded are a lot ofposse figures in that area who are them here. As the posses matured in the United involved in smuggling marijuana, I would States, the leaders became more insulated from say with the help ofthe Jamaicans who work actual street drug sales and expanded into bulk on the docks, because many times the cargo distribution, especially when they became involved containers would be used to hide shipments in the cocaine and crack markets. of marijuana.

Since the mid-1970s, posses have been traffick­ Q. In what particular types of criminal ing the high-grade sinsemilla strain of marijuana activity are the posses involved in New Jer­ called "Jamaican Gold," which is indigenous to sey? Jamaica. By 19,84, the various posses became active A. Sir, New Jersey [was] always considered in the transportation and distribution of cocaine and to be a safe place to hidefrom the New York crack, also calle:d rock cocaine. Tn addition to drug police and a very good place to stash mari­ distribution, the posses are involved in trafficking of juana, weapons. During the '70s and early firearms, kidna!ppings, robberies, home invasions, ,80s New J er§ey was always considered and alien smuggling and money laundering. used as a safe area.

The two largest Jamaican posses are Shower and Q. Why was New Jersey considered to be a Spangler. Many of the active posses in the United safe area? States are spin-lOffs from these two. Traditionally, A. Police in New Jersey did not take posses

18 ;r

seriously at the time and, as a matter offact, living in New Jersey . ... 1 don't think that they even knew that they existed. SHOWER POSSE

Q. That the posses existed? The Shower Posse originated in the Tivoli Gar­ A. Yes, sir. We would use hotels and motels dens section of Kingston around 1981. Its members specijically in New Jersey on Route 4 to keep have been avid supporters of the Jamaican Labor marijuana and later distribute it back over Party (JLP). Its name derives from its reputation for into the New York area. showering its victims with bullets. In September 1988 a federal grand jury in Miami indicted 34 members of the Shower Posse, including Lester Q. What area in New Jersey has the highest Lloyd (Big Jim Brown) Coke, the top leader in amount ofJamaican posse activity? Kingston, as well as Vivian Blake, the top leader in A. Well, from my experience personally I the United States. Coke is scheduled for an extradi·· would say that Paterson is the number one tion hearing from Jamaica. Blake is still a fugitive. area in New Jersey, you know, and also Intelligence information indicates that in Septem­ places like East Orange. ber 1989 he had been in Atlantic City for less than 24 hours before departing for Toronto and then to Q. Why Paterson? Jamaica. A. Maybe because posse members, they have relatives that live in the Paterson area Shower Posse networks are involved in the sale and East Orange, you know, and because of of cocaine and marijuana in the New Jersey cities of this it was always a good area to hide out, Newark, East Orange, Irvington, Camden, Atlantic you know. City, Vineland, Trenton and Bridgeton. Recent arrest statistics indicate that the number of Shower Q. Is that also true for East Orange? Posse members operating within the state is grow­ A. Certainly, sir. ing. As of November 1988, 53 Shower Posse members had been arrested. in New Jersey for in­ The Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and volvement in drug distribution. In 1989, the num ber Firearms (ATF) estimates that there are at least 40 of members identified increased to 75. Jamaican posses with more than 13,000 members operating in the United States. The SCI has posi­ SPANGLER POSSE tively identified five posses that presently or in the past have operated drug distribution networks in The Spangler Posse originated in the Matthews New Jersey: Shower, Spangler, Dunkirk Boys, Tel Lane area of Kingston, and its members have tradi.:. Aviv and Waterhouse. Members or associates of tionally supported the Peoples Natiopal Party (PNP). other posses who are not aligned with an operational The late Glenford (Early Bird) Phipps headed the drug network have also been arrested in New Jersey. New York City-based operations for the Spangler~, Similar to many La Cosa Nostra operatives who live along with the recently murdered Toywell (Cow) in New Jersey and conduct their criminal activities Phillips, who also controlled drug distribution net­ in New York, many Jamaican posse members who works in Englewood and Paterson in New Jersey. operate drug distribution networks in New York Under investigation by New York authorities, ToyweU have chosen to live in New Jersey. In addition to the Phillips fled back to Jamaica in early 1989. Some posses already mentioned, members of the Paine­ law enforcement officials believe that the new leader land and Two Mile posses have been identified as of the Spanglers in New York City will be from New

19 Jersey. According to the disguised Jamaican wit­ Richmond, Virginia. ness and several other sources, the leader of the Spanglers in Jamaica is an individual named Dannie Intelligence infonnation indicated that in 1988 Dodd. Glenford Phipps was murdered in Kingston several members of the Dunkirk Boys who left New on July 15, 1990, while acting in his capacity as York City went to the New Brunswick area. These Supervisor of Metropolitan Parks and Markets in persons, who were only known by their street names, Kingston. Toywell Phillips was killed on December were not reported to be involved in drug distribu­ 1, 1990, in Jamaica, reportedly on orders of Lester tion. Instead, they were using New Brunswick only . Lloyd Coke, the leader of the Shower Posse in as a safe area. Jamaica. There were 29 members and associates of the Spangler Posse networks distribute primarily Dunkirk Boys Posse identified as operating or con­ marijuana, cocaine and crack in Paterson. Intelli­ trolling drug distribution networks in New Jersey in ge·nce indicates that Spangler members in New 1988. At the present time, however, there is no York City continue to supply marijuana to associ­ known network of this posse actively operating in ates in Trenton and Camden. The number of Span­ New Jersey. gler Posse members identified as operating drug distribution networks in New Jersey in 1989 was 45, TEL A VIV POSSE an increase from the 27 reported in 1988. In the late fall of 1989, infonnation was devel­ DUNKIRK BOYS POSSE oped regarding known members of the Tel Aviv Posse operating in Paterson. This posse originated The Dunkirk Boys Posse, also known as Kirkys, in the Tel1erville section of Kingston, where it was has been under the leadership of Dennis (Stickman) initially known on the streets as the Skulls. Its Smith since 1977. Traditionally, this posse has been members support the PNP, and they have been mixed politically, but has many members who sup­ known to associate closely with members of the port the PNP in Jamaica. From 1987 through 1988, Jungle Posse. The Spangler Posse has long operated the Dunkirk Boys in New York City were at war several drug distribution networks in Paterson, and with the Spangler Posse, but within the last two it appears that they are operating independently of years a truce has been declared. and not in conflict with this new posse. Since the Spangler, Jungle and Tel Aviv posses are all sup­ Some members and associates of the Dunkirk porters of the PNP, it is possible that they are Boys who did not wish to participate in the New working together. . York war moved into Englewood, New Jersey, in 1987, selling marijuana, cocaine, crack and weap­ The disguised Jamaican witness identified the ons. However, the group has been virtually elimi­ leader of the Jungle Posse as Tony (Red Tony) nated from that area because of arrests of their street Welsh of Miami. The SCI has corroborated this dealers and mid-level suppliers by the Englewood information from additional sources. Police Department and the Bergen County Narcot­ ics Task Force. Ledlo (Blacker) Gillings, who WA TERHOUSE POSSE operated in conjunction with this cell of Dunkirk Boys, was sentenced to federal prison on March 3, The name of this posse derives from the fact that 1989, on charges of conspiracy to distribute co­ many of its members are from the Waterhouse area caine. The other members of this cell split, some of Kingston. Members and associates of the Water­ moving their operations to Boston, others to house Posse have been arrested in Jersey City and

20 Mount Laurel in the past. Between 1983 and early who is able to supply the drugs and at what price. 1985, a small cell of the Waterhouse Posse operated The disguised Jamaican witness described some of a marijuana distribution network in Trenton. The these trends: principal operatives of this network were Dennis Derrick Dobson and Daniel Augustus Comrie, both I feel the future ofthe first generation members of Willingboro, who were arrested in 1985 for connected to Jamaica is very, very dim. attempting to bribe a Trenton police officer to [AJgain they are beginning to run back to protect their operation on South Clinton A venue. Jamaica due to the heavy sentences that ". On June 4, 1990, Dennis Dobson was arrested by they are getting in the U.S., you know. Some police in Bristol Township, Pennsylvania, for oper­ of, I would say, the second generation are ating a cocaine and crack distribution network out of involved in the same,just as they pose more the Venice-Ashby housing project in the township. lof a threat] as far as they are concerned, Dobson's operation sold cocaine and crack through because they know more about the American street operatives in Lower Bucks County, Pennsyl­ justice systems ... because they were born vania, an~ Trenton, New Jersey. here. They are American citizens, butfrom Jamaican parentage, you know. Since about 1989, the tenn "posse" has become popular with non-Jamaican gangs, due to the public­ This does not mean that a posse member in the ity surrounding the Jamaican groups. In many United States no longer cares who is in power in urban areas, for instance, African-American youth Jamaica. On the contrary, politics affects his rela­ gangs have adopted the tenn "posse." On February tives and friends in the old neighborhood in King­ 15, 1991, several members of a group comprised of ston. What this does mean is that the new Jamaican both Jamaicans and African-Americans were ar­ immigrants connected to a posse think more of the rested on drug and weapons offenses in Trenton. bottom line as they assume leadership roles in their The group, calling itself the Suicide Posse, had been gangs rather than of political labels as their elders active in the western section of the city selling did. marijuana. Law enforcement has even reported foriner Meanwhile, many of the real Jamaican posses enemies, such as Spangler and Shower posse mem­ have started calling their groups "massives." Many bers, working together in drug deals to increase of the second-tier members have started using the profits for their common benefit. Within the next tenn "crews" to describe their cells or drug distribu­ three years, as posses are dismantled by law en­ tion networks. For example, at the SCI's public forcement, the younger members will splinter into hearing the disguised Jamaican witness identified a smaller groups and operate their drug networks on a New York City group, calling itself the Tower Hill . regional level rather than on the expansive levels Crew, led by a Jamaican named Bonnie 'Wizzie. that the posses now operate. This move toward independence will create additional problems for By the end of 1989. entrepreneurial considera­ law enforcement, since drug quantities available for tions had become more important than political seizure will become smaller and the targets will allegiances in running the posses. As members of therefore seem less significant. These separate cells the old guard of the posse leadership are ei ther killed or crews will utilize the same sources of supply as or jailed, younger members, some of them second their predecessors and will also have adequate generation immigrants less attuned to the gang manpower for their street sales by smuggling illegal warfare and politics of Kingston, are taking over. aliens from Jamaica. It is also most likely that these The emphasis now is on practical concerns such as youths will expand their legitimate business opera-

21 tions beyond the ethnic grocery stores or record couriers were given money to purchase marijuana in shops into more Americanized, large investment Houston, New York, Tucson, Los Angeles, Jamaica enterprises such as automobile leasing or dealer­ and Mexico. The marijw:ma was stashed in rental ships, trucking or travel agencies. In fact, examples apartments in Philadelphia, before being distributed of this probable trend are beginning to occur' in out of Hylton 's Philadelphia residence to customers Florida and New York. in South Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Although powerful, secretive and mobile, Ja­ Willingboro is also the base for an alien smug­ maican posses are not invulnerable to law enforce­ gling ring which supplies much of the manpower to ment efforts. In a successful federal-local coopera­ staff the various crack houses for the Shower Posse tive effort, in December 1990, virtually all of the 42 in Philadelphia. alleged members of the Jamaican Gulleymen Posse were indicted by a federal grand jury in Brooklyn. Under questioning by SCI Counsel Gaal, Detec­ The indictment named 35 people on narcotics con­ tive George Joyner of the Camden Police Depart­ spiracy charges, 16 for money laundering and three ment testified about Jamaican posse involvement in on fraudulent passport charges. Included in the drug trafficking in Camden: indictment was a State Department employee who allegedly helped the gang members obtain fraudu­ Q. Is the Jamaican criminal activity in lent passports. The case was broken with informa­ Camden organized? tion provided by several gang mem bers now serving A. Yes. Theterm ... posse ... ,pickedupby life sentences on guilty pleas to various crimes, our local drug ... sets, ... [originally came] including murder. The gang reportedly took in from the Jamaican posses. more than $100 million from sales of heroin, co­ caine, crack and marijuana in New York, Washing­ Q . In what types ofcriminal activity are the ton and Dallas over the last five years and carried out Jamaican posses involved? at least 10 murders on orders of its leader, Eric A. They deal basically in the sale ofmari­ Vassell, currently believed to be in hiding in the juana and cocaine, and they've also been New York area. involved in numerous weapon violations.

In November 1990, a Burlington County grand Q. Have you been able to identify the jury indicted six people who allegedly operated a Jamaican gangs that operate in Camden? Jamaican marijuana smuggling ring from a home in A. [I]ntelligence information has identified Willingboro. This group was supplying much of the elements of the two major [Jamaican] pos­ marijuana to Shower Posse members and associates ses .'" which [are] Spangler and Shower, who operate and staff Jamaican crack houses in but at this time the term posse, as an individ-

West Philadelphia and the Germantown section of ual group J is fading away and.- what you are Philadelphia. The Willingboro Police Department, seeing now is the search for the money. Burlington County Prosecutor's Office, State Po­ Everything is developed on the profits. lice and SCI cooperated in a yearlong investigation of the operation, which at its height spent $60,000 to Q. Do these Jamaican drug dealers interact $80,000 to purchase about 200 pounds of marijuana with any of the African-American sets or per week. The alleged leaders of the drug distribu­ other operations in Camden? tion network were Dawn Patricia Ulett, her sister A. Yes, several ofthe Jamaican drug dealers Sonya Henry and her husband Milton Anthony do interact with the sets in Camden by sell­ Hylton. From the "control point" in Willingboro, ing marijuana. In addition to their own

22 sources of supply for cocaine in New York ous officers that are running into Jamaicans City the Jamaican dealers in Camden have who are showing up in their territory that obtained cocaine from members of the J un­ are giving Camden addresses, et cetera. In ior Black Mafia operating out of Philadel­ reference to the specific group in Camden, phia, and they also maintain their own mari­ they specialize in quiet takeovers. juana supplies. Q. What do you mean by that? Q. Is there any particular set in Camden A. A quiet takeover, they do not have to with which Jamaican posse figures have es­ come in and shoot up an area, beat up­ tablisheed ties? people, and things like that to take over. A. Yes, there appears to be a close relation­ They move in, I don't know whether they ship between one of the principal Jamaican negotiate, they buy a property, they central­ dealers and the 24th and Hyde Street set. ize themselves in an area, they attach them­ selves to the locals from the area and then Q. How do the Jamaican drug dealers laun­ begin to use them and then at one point they der their drug profits? become ata higher level andjustfadr! out of A. Within the last two to three years the Ja­ the picture, but they are still in control and maicans involved in drug distribution have this is what has happened in the Camde.n tripled their legitimate business operations. area. It took somewhere around the neigh­ They own and operate several bars, clothing borhood of 10 years for this to develop to stores and smallfood stores in the Camden this point. area. NIGERIANS Q. Approximately how many Jamaican posse members or associates are involved in either Bernard 1. Murphy, Assistant Special Agent-in­ cocaine or marijuana distribution in Camden? Charge of the Newark office of the FBI, testified at A. I would estimate at least one hundred in':' the Commission's public hearing about highly mobile dividuals are involved with the Jamaican Nigerian criminals engaged in organized schemes to drug trade in the Camden City area. defraud banks and other fmancial institutions. Special Agent Murphy detailed several examples in which Commissioner W. Hunt Dumont asked Detec­ Nigerians, using high quality fabri\.:ated identifica­ tive Joyner to elaborate on the influence of the tion, engaged in sophlsticated frauds in New Jersey: Jamaicans in Camden: In early 1987 a group ofNew Jersey bankers Q. Do the Jamaican groups ... cooperate requested FBI assistance in investigating a with these other non-Jamaican groups in series offrauds which were being committed Camden? Do they divide up the territory or by Nigerians against New Jersey financial is this not as organized as that? institutions. Upon our initial investigation A. They are extremely organized. They are these crimes appeared to be widespread and nationally connected. As a matter offact, I isolated. However, a detailed examination would even go as far as to say internation­ ofthe individualfrauds revealed a complex ally connected as far as the United States. scheme which employed similar styles, all of Their network is as far reaching from Camden which were interconnected. as Texas, Florida, Baltimore, New York, Kansas City. I keep in contact with numer- A detailed examination ofone ofthese frauds

23 revealed that an individual using an alias in Middletown, New Jersey. An alert cus­ opened accounts infour banks in Marlboro, tomer service representative questioned the Old Bridge and Freehold, New Jersey. All individual, who then fled the bank. The of the accounts were opened with a minimal service representative obtained the license cash deposit, normally fifty to a hundred plate of his vehicle and contacted local po­ dollars, and [each] bank was provided with lice, who then arrested the suspect within a a home address, place ofemployment and a few blocks of the intended victim bank. New Jersey photo driver's licensefor identi­ Although this individual was alone when he fication. The customer also requested and left the bank, he had a passenger in his car received an automatic teller machine [ ATM] at the time ofhis arrest. The passenger was card for [each] bank account. The banks later identified through fingerprints as a followed their normal procedure for new Nigerian national who was a federal fugi­ account verification, did not develop any tive. The original charges against the pas­ invalid information which would cause them senger were also for fraudulent activity. The to close the accounts and, therefore, opened driver of the vehicle posted a $10,000 bond [the] accounts. and was released the same day.

Shortly after the accounts were opened, a Again, our later determination was that the series of checks drawn on banks in Florida, name given by the driver was, in fact, an Georgia, Maryland and New York were alias ofyet another Nigerian national. The deposited into these accounts via the ATMs. alias given to the Middletown Police De­ The accounts were monitored remotely via partment {in Monmouth County] was the ATM, and when the money was released into same name used to defraud another bank in the account the Nigerian visited several Millstone, New Jersey. Further investiga­ branches of each bank during a two to three tion determined that all the aliases were true day period and withdrew the majority ofthe identities ofbank employeesfromNew York money. [Finally, a]ll ofthe deposited checks City. were later returned unpaid causing the banks to suffer losses. An in-depth investigation by the FBI deter­ mined the driver's true identity, revealed The investigation revealed that the address that he had used nine different aliases in ... given by the Nigerian customer was, in real­ Jersey City, Passaic, Belleville, North Ar­ ity, a self-storage facility. The self-storage lington, Perth Amboy, Bellmawr, Edison, facility also offered private mail receiving Iselin, Haddon Township and Blackwood, services. The employment that he had pro­ New Jersey, and had defrauded banks in vided was contacted by the bank, and it was those areas of $225,000. It was also deter­ determined to be a telephone answering mined that the driver had applied for and service that verified employment. The alias obtained credit cards from a local depart­ name and the Social Security number used ment store under the true person's name and by this individual was determined to be a credit history. He [had} obtained another true person who was an executive with a $60,000 in cash and merchandise with these New York financial institution. credit cards ....

In yet another case in May of 1988, an In a little over a year the driver obtained individual attempted to open a bank account almost $300,000 in cash and merchandise

24 from New Jersey businessmen. We have no mally supervisory or management position way of calculating the driver's total finan­ employees, which will also enable them to cial gainfrom his fraudulent activities, but obtain the biographical data and credit lines we do know of his extensive travel up and based on the true employee's biographical down the East Coast and as far away as data. California. We also know that the checks deposited by the driver were used by other I'll give you three additional, what appeared Nigerians to commit similar frauds. to be unrelated, instances that took place earlier this year which, uponfirst blush, did Another individual, while on bailfor a $40,000 not appear to be related. But I'll try to tie fraud committed against the State of New them together for you at the end of this Jersey Department ofLabor, engaged in an particular segment to show you how ... cir­ eight-monthfraudulent spree that netted him cuitous the routes are and how many differ­ well in excess of $100,000 using the Social ent kinds of criminal activities can take Security accounts and true names of New place in one particular scheme. Jersey residents. Again, one ofthe individu­ als victimized was a senior executive at a. In March of 1990, accounts were opened at New Jersey financial institution. two banks in Princeton, New Jersey, under the name ofMoney line Investment. A series These and similar investigations reveal a ofchecks drawn on an attorney trust account pattern of widespread fraudulent activity, in Georgia were deposited into the accounts [including] bank fraud, credit card fraud, with money withdrawn ... prior to checks student loanfraud, unemploymentfraud, in­ being returned unpaid, causing a $25,000 surance fraud, rental car fraud and the like. loss.

Thesefrauds all have a common denomina­ The month before ... an individual had at­ tor, thefalse identification card. The card is tempted to get a $3,000 cash advance on a a prerequisite to all of the fraudulent activ­ credit cardin West Windsor, New Jersey. At ity. Nigerian criminal elements will seek to that time an alert teller called the credit card infiltrate major companies to obtain bio­ company for authorization and the customer graphical data on the company's legitimate spoke with the security department of the employees. They will normally apply for credit card company. The customer was positions as security guards, cleaning per­ asked a series ofquestions, one a/which was sonnel or positions with temporary employ­ fictitious and designed to be so, and when he ment agencies, even in white collar capaci­ responded, the security department told the ties, such as accountants. The security guards bank to seize the card. The bank also seized and cleaning personnel,for example, during the driver's license used for identification. periods of minimal presence by company The individual fled the- bank and the police employees, will attempt to obtain informa­ obtained a John Doe warrant for this indi­ tion on payroll and human resource records, vidual. which will, of course, contain biographical data on legitimate company employees. If A few months later, in September of 1990, they are not successful in penetrating these the Plainsboro, New Jersey, Police Depart­ areas of the company, they will look for ment arrested a woman who had attempted information on individual employees, nor- to open a bank account under an alias name.

25 The woman was later identified to be a he stole ten blank checks of a subsidiary Nigerianfrom Maryland. In her possession company from the back of a checkbook and was a check drawn on the same Georgia at­ a legitimate accounts payable check in the torney's trust account, the one that was used amount of$28.000. This check was negoti­ in Princeton under the Moneyline Invest­ ated at a bank in Virginia where a fraudu­ ment account name. This woman we believe lent account had been established. One of was ... working in concert with the West the blank checks was also negotiated in Windsor, New Jersey, John Doe. Massachusetts. Additional deposits in the Massachusetts accounts were drawn on a Once the link between the West Windsor and federal credit union in Bladensburg, Mary­ the Plainsboro incidents was developed, land. In Bladensburg, Maryland, it was further investigation determined that this determined that that credit union had been John Doe customer had obtained a safe victimized, and a series of 700 checks were deposit box at yet another branch of the stolenfrom that institution. The credit union same bank in East Orange, New Jersey. in Maryland suffered over $100,000 worth Again in September this John Doe customer of losses before we caught up with them. went to the East Orange bank to close his safe deposit box. The only warrant for him Special Agent Murphy described what he called was the local John Doe warrant for the "controlling cells," operating in various regions of attempted cash advances. Two local offi­ the country, that suggest the presence of centralized cers were in the bank parking lot taking a leadership for Nigerian organized crime: report on another incident and they took the individual into custody. The same vehicle The information which is obtained by [cell] that had bee n used at the bank in Plainsboro workers in similar scenarios is furnished to was located in the parking lot. a cell leader, who controls access and distri­ bution. The cell leader interacts and ex­ InMayof1990, a set ofInterceptor tires was changes information with leaders in other put on this vehicle and charged to afraudu­ states. The exchange ofinformation, checks lently obtained American Express credit card. and identification provides these groups with At the time the tires were put on the car the a constant supply of new information which mileage was 56,000 miles. When thisfellow allows them to perpetrate new frauds with­ was arrested in mid-September the mileage out readily being detected. was in excess of90,000 miles. He had put 35,000 miles on the car in a little over four months. How would this individual put so We see people that are performing at differ­ many miles on the car infour months? What ent levels, different functions and much like developed ... as a result of this arrest, was smurfs that are used in money laundering. the identification of mail drops in Alexan­ There is a group that are doing that. Well, dria, Virginia, the District of Columbia, they have been doing it at the direction of Maryland, and five more in New Jersey. cell leaders and we know that they are ob­ taining training in how to approach and how Additionally, it was determined that this in­ to manipulate the system. dividual had been employed through a tem­ porary accounting service at a company in Let met give you a very good example: the NewJersey. While workingfor the company use of the ATM . ... I indicated at one point

26 that the subject of one of the investigations "God Father" controls four to six "mules" who monitored the account from an ATM. ... transport drugs and money. The typical smuggling tTlhey' LI go in with fairly good identifica­ process starts in Nigeria when the mule -- usually a tion, fraudulent identification, make their woman or juvenile -- goes to a "Black Magic House" initial deposits, get the system opened up, to receive instructions and swallow the contraband and then they sit back and from afar, out­ drugs, which are sealed in condoms for transport to side, they test that ATM machine. And the United States. Nigerians obtain most of their they'll know within hours when that check heroin from Southeast Asia where 70 percent of the clears. And as soon as it clears is when they heroin available in the United States is produced. hit, because there is a window of maybe a Three out of five couriers arrested in Thailand in day or two days before the bank will release possession of heroin are from Nigeria. the funds and when, in fact, the Federal Reserve System will clear the check. They Historically, the source of heroin in the black know how long that window is. They moni­ community has been La Cosa Nostra -- trafficking tor itfrom afar {because} ifthey mess it up, in South west Asian heroin. Today, the major source ifthey come in too fast to the bank, they'll get is ethnic Chinese organized criminals dealing in identified, so they monitor it from the out­ Southeast Asian heroin. Of course, the evidence of side. As soon as the funds are released, they Nigerian smuggling clearly indicates that Chinese go in, cash their checks and get out. You criminals are not the lone suppliers of Southeast won't find them doing it four or five days Asian heroin in the United States. later, because they know that the check will clear in that period of time. COMMON CONCERNS ABOUT AFRO-LIN­ EAL CRIMINAL GROUPS Special Agent Murphy summarized the exten­ sive negative impact which Nigerian organized crime Afro-lineal criminal groups are particularly has on our society: dangerous because they exhibit all or some of the following characteristics. Nigerians present a unique problem for law enforcement, in that their fraudulent activi­ BREEDING GROUNDS FOR DURABLE SYN­ ties are committed against government agen- ~ DICATES cies where benefits can be obtained, against financial institutions, department stores, credit Although many Afro-lineal criminal groups have card companies and insurance companies. only a fleeting existence, some of the more notori­ They also impact heavily on the general ous have enjoyed significant duration and power. If public with increased costsfromfmuds being left unchecked, each gang, set, posse or other incipi­ passed on to them in higher interest rates and ent organization has the potential to become en­ taxes. The individual victim whose personal trenched to the point where it may achieve a life of credit history has been victimized faces a its own. This certainly occurred in the case of The long battle to get his personal credit history Family in northern New Jersey, once headed by back to normal with the fraudulent charges Wayne (Akbar) Pray. deleted. Narcotics trafficking, in particular, provides a The Commission has learned that Nigerians are fertile breeding ground for criminal cartels. Just as also involved in organized smuggling of heroin into Prohibition during the 1920s promoted the rise of the United States. In this country a person called a La Cosa Nostra families, the vast demand for illegal

27 drugs provides many opportunities for new groups [Pray] also reinforced his control over his to accumulate power and markets through energy, organization and drug trafficking within its resourcefulness and brute force. Newark's Police territory through violence. Pray hired thugs Director, Claude M. Coleman, summarized the to intimidate or eliminate witnesses who problem during the Commission's public hearing: might implicate him in criminal activity. Witnesses in at leastfive homicide investiga­ [A1 lot of [African-American] groups are tions have asserted that Pray was directly what I refer to as freelancers, having very responsible for victims being murdered fleeting operations. We take them out, there because they had attempted to obtain co­ are others that take their places .... [B] ut a caine from less expensive sources of supply lot of them have achieved a level of sophis­ or attempted to withdraw from his organiza­ tication and durability that we find disturb­ tion. ing and '" make it more difficult to detect, to apprehend and to prosecute. Elizabeth Police Detective Thomas Swan testi­ fied how the E'Port Posse disposed ofMutah Ses­ Director Coleman noted that "as long as the soms, one of its members who had been cooperating demand continues, we are going to have drug traf­ with police: fickers," but he emphasized that "constant attention from law enforcement and from groups such as [the [lIn March of 1989, during the discovery SCI] can prevent anyone group from becoming too phase in the criminal cases stemming from powerful and ... too entrenched or too insulated Operation Pioneer, the defense was able to from police detection." obtain a statement which had beenprovided by Mutah. Soon afterwards Sessoms was VIOLENCE severely beaten by five individuals after he had left the Union County Courthouse, three As established or aspiring drug trafficking groups of whom he identified as Pretlow under­ vie for available markets, they become extremely lings, Shawn Hartwell, Bilal's second-in­ violent. Returns from the lucrative drug trade command, and another by the name ofWendell provide ample funds to purchase devastating weap­ Wilson, who would later help avenge the ons. The criminal milieu breeds a lack of respect for death ofRobert Pretlow. I warned Sessoms life. This volatile combination leads to high rates of that his identity had been revealed, and we homicide and aggravated assault, as well as the took precautions to make sure that he stayed disruption of nonnallife in many neighborhoods. out of Elizabeth. We provided him with funds, but because of his age, which was I On October 26, 1989, the front lines in a drug believe at the time, nineteen, he had a girl­ turf battle engulfed two Essex County Police offi­ friend that he couldn't stay away from. So cers. A police captain and sergeant were severely he sneaked into Elizabeth at night, unbe­ wounded in New(!Ik when they stopped their patrol knownst to us, andfinally on June 17,1989, car to question individuals who turned out to be his mutilated, decapitated and dismembered heavily armed and grouping for a territorial fight iOrso was found in suitcas~s in Newark. with a rival drug dealer. Detective Swan described the violence con­ DEA Special Agent-in-Charge Donald Ashton nected with the struggles for supremacy in the drug detailed the violence associated with The Family in trade in Elizabeth and parts of Newark among the Essex County under Wayne Pray: E'Port Posse and other groups:

28 [On] January 8, 1989, Rid)' Williams was Bilal Pretlow faces the death penalty in federal shot in the abdomen by [E' Port Posse charges for the alleged drug-related murders of members] Keith Cashwell and Andre Wil­ Sessoms and Melanie Baker, a 16-year-old girl who liams, .,. because he posed a threat to the inadvertently stumbled on the location of one of the Pretlows. Bilal Pretlow ordered this shoot­ outfit's "stash" houses. ing from the Union County Jail, and it was relayed via [his second-in-command] Shawn Camden Police Detecti ve Leonard Hall testified Hartwell. Jeanette Griggs was severely about the violence associated with the criminal sets beaten by Bilal Pretlow, Shawn Hartwell in Camden: and others for selling cocaine in the vicinity of Pioneer Homes for someone other than With the involvement ofyoung street dealers the Pretlow organization. in the last few years their dealing is wide open, on the corners ,projects and what have Shortly thereafter, on July 9, 1989, Robert you. This fact, coupled with keen competi­ Pretlow was shot to death in Elizabeth by tion for turf, has led to violent confronta­ Bobby Ray Davis, Walter Griggs, who was tions on the street. Jeanette's brother, and Maurice Crowley, who was Jeanette's boyfriend. Bobby Ray Davis was a major supplier of heroin to ... [S]ome [sets] attempt to invade [others'] many New Jersey cities, extending into the area[s] of operation to increase their drug state prison system. He had decided to ex­ sales. Frequently this results in drive-by pand his drug operation to include cocaine shootings, to force one set to either relin­ distribution to the Pretlow turf in Elizabeth. quish the area or to fight back by attacking On the day of Robert Pretlow's death the the other set. Elizabeth Police stopped a car driven by [Bi/al] Pret[ow, who was then out on bail, In other instances the individuals often rob and containing Shawn Hartwell and Irving the young drug dealers as a means to obtain Bethea. All three fled the car, and in a money without dealing drugs themselves. garbage can which Pretlow had passed was We refer to these individuals as stick-up found .. , a Tech-9 automatic pistol with a boys. Recently in Camden we had a triple clip 0[25 rounds. On July 10,1989, which homicide by a hired shooter originating was thefollowing day, Bobby Ray Davis was from Philadelphia who also double-crossed shot to death in front of his home in Eliza­ one set who had hired him to protect them beth [by] Thomas Pretlow, theoldestoffour and their operation. Pretlow brothers...... [Wendell] Wilson [was] charged with driving Thomas Pretlow Camden Detective Louis Muzyczek testified to the Davis house where Pretlow allegedly about the availability of weapons to set members: shot [Davis] in the head three times. We've had at least four other execution-style kill­ [They possess] Uzi machine guns, auto­ ings attributed to the Pretlow organization matic pistols. The weapon of choice is the or its rivals. At the height of this group's nine millimeter automatic. We see sawed­ activity we had shots fired in the downtown off shotguns, and ... individuals in [differ­ area of Elizabeth every night. ent] sets are actually wearing bullet-proof vests.

29 Violence is also characteristic of Five Percenter any details, do you have knowledge of such gangs. Monmouth County Investigator Jordan tes­ murders? tified how the violence centers around battles for turf: A. Yes.

[Five Percenters] will become very hostile CHAIRMAN ZAZZALI: About how many? to any rival gang or anyone who attempts to take over their drug turf, as it has been A. Three, four. outlined by them . ... We have 68 gangs that we are dealing with in our county [including Violence also occurs between Jamaican posses 14 Five Percenter chapters], so there is a lot and other posses or African-American narcotics o/rivalry there. traffickers. It takes place as one group or another defends its drug-dealing turf or for political and Five Percenter violence extends beyond turf other reasons. A blatant example occurred in a park battles with other groups, as related by the disguised in Oakland, New Jersey, on August 4, 1985. In a witness: gun battle between elements of the Shower Posse and elements of the Spangler and Dog posses, three Q. What happens to any member who wishes people, including the leader of the Dog Posse, died to leave the Five Percenters? and 19 were wounded. Police seized 33 weapons at A. He will be subject to a "universal beat the scene. More than 1,000 spent shell casings were down," which is an assault or a beating and found. may even be killed, depending on the cir­ cumstances. Illegal aliens from Jamaica are typically em­ ployed to staff the Jamaican drug trafficking organi­ zations. Their loyalty is insured by threats of Q. Even a killing could result, depending on violence to them and their families. There have the circumstances? been documented incidents of what is called "joint­ A. Yes, sir. ing" of individuals cooperating with law enforce­ ment. An informant's body is dismembered at the Q. Is the term "universal beat down" used joints and pieces sent to his family in Jamaica. for any other reason? A. Yes. Could be assault on a white person, Since 1985, approximately 1,400 homicides in who assaulted or questioned a black man. It the United States have been attributed to posse drug could also be used against a Five Percenter dealing. In New Jersey, there have been 17 posse­ for failure to learn his lessons. related murders since January 1987. In excess of 200 posse-related killings occurred in New York City during 1988. In Philadelphia, there have been CHAIRMANJAMESR.ZAZZALI: Mr. Wit­ more than 40 posse-related homicides since October ness, you've indicated that a "universal beat 1986. The posses have engaged in indiscriminate down" could include a murder, am I cor­ shooting sprees, even though only one person was rect? the target, and they often assassinate the entire family of a targeted victim. A. Yes.

CHAIRMAN ZAZZALI: Without going into

30 DESTRUCTION OF NEIGHBORHOODS to the store basically like they would do in Inormal] neighborhoods. Established and emerging Afro-lineal organ­ ized crime groups have disrupted everyday life in Newark Police Director Claude Coleman de­ many urban and suburban areas. They recruit youth scribed the situation existing in some neighbor­ into a disastrous way of life, destroy families, in­ hoods in Newark: timidate decent people to the point where they feel like prisoners in their own homes and have even ... [S]ome of the decent people who live lin been responsible for the murders of innocent by­ buildings that become part of the territories standers. of these criminal groups] become like pris­ oners in these buildings . ... They are afraid In a statement submitted at the public hearing, to go in; they are afraid to come out; they are Camden Police Chief George D. Pugh emphasized afraid to have visitors. They don't get deliv­ Afro-lineal organized crime's crippling effects on eries as other people would in normal neigh­ urban neighborhoods and society at large: borhoods. I think the quality of life in the neighborhoods has overall deteriorated. The I perceive no greater threat to the rebirth, kids that play in the neighborhood become stability and quality of life in our urban workersfor the people who are dealing drugs communities than the organized groups of because they are attracted by thefast money young predators terrorizing our neighbor­ and the fast cars and the so-called symbols of hoods while engaged in illicit drug traffick­ success -- the gold chains, the sneakers. ing and its attendant violence, all under the They want these things, but the only way to control and direction of well insulated indi­ get them is to deal drugs, so it's ready em­ viduals . ... The crisis in the urban centers is ploymentfor them .... IT]here is the danger just the beginning; the problem has and will ofI the criminals] serving as role models for continue to infiltrate the suburban and rural the kids that they come in contact with. communities. I sincerely hope and pray that this hearing is thefirst step towards develop­ In response to Commissioner Dumont's inquiry ing and implementing a comprehensive policy about the ages at which some youths participate in and plan to effectively eradicate this ever­ drug trafficking, Director Coleman testified: increasing cancer we have identified as youth violence. Well, we've had some as young as nine serving as lookouts. ... They are all around Camden Police Detective Leonard Hall elabo­ the block. As soon as someone comes around rated on the adverse effects on neighborhoods that the corner who they suspect to be a narcotics' become the turf of drug distribution rings in Camden: officer or a police officer, they start yelling, "Five-oh, five-oh" I using the name of the [With} widespread [drug selling] opera­ old Hawaiian police show Oil television], tions and the frequent drive-by shootings and they are actually serving as lookouts. and situations like that, the individual citi­ zens in Camden have become prisoners in Somerset Prosecutor Nicholas Bissell described their own homes. The young people, the how one of Isaac Wright's minions was enticed by youth dealers, have no respect for the eld­ the trappings of the drug trade: erly, and a few innocent people have been shot and even killed. People can't even walk

31 For example, during the guilty plea of[Willie third of what he was given. In many cases (Chill Will)] Sirmans, he indicated that he the $600 worth ofdrugs has already been ... first met Wright when Wright arrived at one diluted by the [boss or] manager of the ofthese apartment complexes driving a white operation, what we call stepped~on. Mercedes. We had surveillances going at the time, and you could see on the surveil~ Camden Detective Louis Muzyczek compared lance tapes that it attracted all the kids to his for Commissioner Dumont present-day cocaine car. Not that he ever sold any cocaine from dealing to the heroin trade which predominated in that car, but that Mercedes was a status the past: symbol in that area. Sirmans indicated that once he became involved and he was found Just the fact that Camden's population is to be reliable he had what was known as a only 85,000, and ... it's only three square franchise. Thatfranchise entitled him to get miles, and we have 38 active drug sets, a new Volvo automobile, which Wright which can rangefrom 10 individuals on one purchasedfor him. Not to sell drugs for him particular set up to 50, that is quite a bit of ~~ in Sirmans' words it was for show. In young people involved in narcotics. And addition to that, he could keep anywhere I've beelri a police officer going into my from three to five thousand dollars of the seventeenth year, and it was there in the money per week that he made. Hekept, as he beginning ... with heroin, and its much larger indicated during his plea, essentially what~ now ... l-l"ith the cocaineflow throughout the ever he wanted, and he, therefore, never had city. MOl;'€'! people are involved. More young less than $500. This is a kid that's, at the people are involved. Children that are going time, 16 or 17years old and going to school, to the elementary schools are carrying what and he's driving a new Volvo on a forged we call beat bags, and they are actually role license, and he's got at least $500 in his playing "'II/hat they see on the corners at night pocket. So that kind ofan operation allows when they go home from the schools. for those kinds of role models. And in those disadvantaged areas you can see, I think, Monmouth (~ounty Investigator Louis Jordan where kids would be drawn to that type of a related how Fivl:~ Percenters recruit and use juve­ life~style, [figuring ,] tt] can get all the things niles: I can't get any other way, and this is an easy way to do it." They use a lot ofjuveniles, which we see a lot of, mostly, who are familiar with the system. Detective Hall also described the recruitment of And you have to understand also that when youths into drug distribution rings in Camden: these juveniles are approached by law en­ forcement, they have been taught that they Some of the sets have what they call a are basically going to be smacked on the lookout. Lookouts can vary anywhere from wrist and turned back into society. So we eight to 13 years old, and they are paid to have adults who are behind them, we find, a look outfor the police or stick~up boys. They lot of the time. are paid between 50 and 60 dollars a day. Now the street dealers receive about $600 worth ofdrugs from the mid~level manager, and at the end ofthe day, ifhe sells the entire Theydoa lot ofrecruiting atour schools. In amount, he's permitted to keep $200, one fact, a majority of it. Again, I will estimate

32 we are dealing with juveniles mostly. Re­ that caused by La Cosa Nostra, Director Coleman cruiting is going on at the schools, them­ concluded that the former's heavier involvement in selves, also in parks and on the streets. drug trafficking made its effects "much worse." He added, "We've had gambling, which other groups have engaged in, we've had prostitution, but those [A} lot ofit is done in the grammar schools. activities have never had the effect that drug traf­ ficking has had." Camden Detective Leonard Hall told Chairman Zazzali that the drug trade is "the [T] here is [also recruitment in the prison biggest business within [Camden]." system.} In some instances Afro-lineal organized crime Investigator Jordan told Commissioner Merin groups have cooperated with criminal groups of how quick drug money breeds parental condone­ other ethnic backgrounds in order to obtain financ­ ment of young drug traffickers operating in poor ing, gain sources of supply or customers or avoid areas with high unemployment rates: territorial disputes. Detective Hall described the evolving relationship between African-American [W}efindwhen ... we arrest [ajuvenUe], ... gam.bling operations in his area and La Cosa Nostra: we can get a lot offlakfrom the parent. You have to understand that if the parents are In the past many ofthe black numbers opera­ getting a $300 or $400 check from the State tors have been under the Bruno-Scarfo or­ and ... their child ... all of a sudden ... is out ganization or have edged off their bets to there involved in drugs and bringing home that organization. With the demise of the $300 or $400 a day, that parent is not going Bruno-Scarfo influence it appears that most to turn that child in. And, not only that, the of the black numbers operations have be­ parent is probably going to give the author­ come independent. ity that brought that child there, be it DYFS [Division of Youth and Family Services] or Cooperation among criminal groups is interna­ the police, a very hard way to go. tional in scope. DEA Special Agent-in..:Charge Ashton testified about the Colom bian connection BROAD IMPACT AND CONNECTIONS with The Family headed by Wayne Pray:

Drug trafficking is not the only scourge of A fro­ [The Family] distributed both cocaine and lineal organized crime groups. The Commission marijuana. Pray's supplies of these drugs learned about gun funning, homicides, robberies came from as far west as California and as and extortion committed by these groups. It learned far south as South Florida. His primary about enduring gambling operations, some under sources for both were Colombians, affili­ the control of La Cosa Nostra and some operating ated with the Medellin cartel. One of his independently. The SCI also learned about certain sources for cocaine was Nelson Gomez, a organized Nigerians systematically defrauding banks member of the Paladinos, an organization and other commercial enterprises. The adverse located in Medellin, Colombia. The Paladi­ impact of these groups on our society has been nos' primary role is to execute drug traffick­ sweeping and profound. ers who have crossed the Medellin cartel. They were, infact, enforcer~lor the Medellin When asked by Chainnan Zazzali to compare cartel. On at least one occasion, Pray, him­ the harm caused by Afro-lineal organized crime to self, traveled to Colombia. Pray dealt with

33 representatives 0/ the Medellin cartel lo­ allows these groups to operate almost openly. cated in South Florida, thereby purchasing And they attract the customers from the his cocaine at a much lower price. He was suburban areas, so while Somerset is essen­ able to originally meet the Colombians tially a suburban county, we have New because 0/ his reputation/or being able to Brunswick on one border and Plainfield on obtain false identity documents. the other. AndweJindthatourcitizens go to Union and Middlesex County, buy drugs While urban communities with large minority and bring them back to Somerset, and they populations suffer most at the hands of Afro-lineal are creating a narcotics problem in Som­ organized crime groups, these organizations also erset County. But they are also allowing and provide drug supermarket:...l:or customers who live creating a narcotics problem in these urban in the suburbs. Much of the wealth accumulated by areas. And these groups become more or­ such operations comes from suburban, upper and ganized, because the organized nature ofthe middle class drug customers that patronize the drug network allows for a more reliable supply, traffickers' turfs. Newark Police Director Coleman which results in a deeper addiction ofmore testified about the suburban connection: people, a greater demand, more money and a strengthening ofthe distribution ring. The [C]ertainly the users ... are suburban. Some more established the group, the more likely of the people we see coming into Prince there will be unwholesome role models for Street, some of the other areas that l've young people, especially in the innercity talked about, '" [are] coming from Short areas. Hills, Millburn and from other suburban areas .... CONCEALMENT (HIDING THE WEALTH. CORRUPTION. AURA OF RESPECTABILITY) Camden Detective Muzyczek also testified that suburbanites are a mainstay of the illegal drug As in other criminal organizations, Afro-lineal markets in that city: organized crime groups strive to insulate their lead­ ership from connections to the criminal activity. The purchasers of these drugs are coming Newark Police Director Coleman described for from the suburbs into the City of Camden. Commissioner Barry H. Evenchick the care which Camden City' .'I population could not sup­ is sometimes taken by street-level drug dealers: port all the drug activity that we see on a daily basis and throughout the many years Well, [a drug purchase] might unfold with that I've been working there. someone from the suburbs driving through the area, and he approaches a dealer who Finally, Somerset County Prosecutor Bissell might direct him to someone else. This described the interaction between suburban custom­ persoll may take the money [and then} direct ers and urban narcotic suppliers: him to someone else, who will give him the drug. [0 }ne of the things that we've noticed with respect to our efforts is that urban areas have become essentially the shopping cen­ The person who gives you the drug is going ters, ifyou will,Jor narcotics. They present to give you what you order. If you appre­ a geography that makes it difficult for law hend him, he's going to have that one drug enforcement to operate, obviously, and it on him. He's not going to be arrestedfor a

34 major deal [nor] lose his "stash," that is, the Special Agent Ashton also testified that when major part of his drugs. Pray promoted boxing matches he hired off-duty local police officers to provide security. Agent DEA Special Agent-in-Charge Ashton detailed Ashton attributed Pray's "image within the commu­ how Wayne Pray of The Family in Essex County nity that he was untouchable" by law enforcement, invested illicit gains in legitimate businesses and in part, to this police presence in his entourage, insulated his illegal activities from law enforcement "which would give him a certain aura, and people scrutiny: would be fearful of providing information."

Q. Did Pray's activities extend to investing The Isaac Wright group from Somerset and illicit gains in legitimate businesses? Middlesex counties and The Family of Roland (pops) A. Yes, sir. Pray used several businesses as Bartlett, which operated in southern New Jersey, fronts to create the appearance that he had both utilized recording companies to launder profits legitimate sources ofincome and that he was from the sale of drugs. Wright used the New York merely an honest businessman. Some ofhis City firm Express Records, and Bartlett used Dom- ' front businesses were the Golden Comb Hair ino Records, also of New YorkCity, which he had Salon, Garmal Auto Sales, Za-Key Associ­ purchased from the Genovese-Gigante LCN family. ates, which is a paralegal and financial consulting firm, Mel-Ton Talent Promotion Camden Detective Joyner described for Com­ and Entertainment Company, an abortion missioner Merin the infiltration of legitimate busi­ clinic, and he touted himself as a boxing nesses by drug traffickers looking for fronts or promoter. During an eighteen-month pe­ places to launder illegal profits: riod between January of 1987 and June of 1988 at least one million dollars in assets Q. You indicated that several of these were purchased by or on behalf of Pray. [Camden] groups used legitimate businesses to launder their money. I think you men­ Q. Were there other ways in which Pray tioned there were bars and laundry shops, insulated himself from the criminal activi­ that sort of thing. Do you know for a fact ties of The Family? which businesses those are? Can you trace A. Yes, sir. One ofthe methods utilized was the ownership back to the posse members? to exploit women who would carry out his drug transactions. He oversaw these ar­ rangements, but he neither handled the money A. The same names involved in the drug nor the drugs directly. activity are showing up on the licenses for the purchases and rentals ofthe businesses. Q. You earlier mentioned his reputationfor We have people that have histories going being able to obtain false identity docu­ back into the '70s involved in different ac­ ments. Could you elaborate on this? tivities, especially with the Jamaicans that A. Yes, sir. Pray provided phony identifica­ are involved in legitimate businesses in the tion for several of his Colombian contacts Camden area and Philadelphia area. who were traveling in the United States. This included fraudulent New Jel"sey driver's licenses which he obtained through sus­ pected corrupt employees of the Irvington motor vehicle agency.

35 r.--

Q. Have you attempted to work with ABC, [there would be} a 72-hour waiting period for example, so that prior to the time the ,in order to give the police the opportunity to license is granted in Camden they run the review the names, would that be helpful? information by you, or you go to them to try A. If the information for every business to get some of these bars de-licensed? could be forwarded to the police -- to the A. This has been one of the problems, the municipalities, the officers, our investiga­ interagency coordination. A lot oftimes we tive division, to check the names and see who don't find out about a business until it's these people are, it would help possibly in opened, established and moving. They take identifying just what is happening and the over businesses. A lot ofthe businesses that organizations, how they are spreading out. they take over, it's just a matter ofchanging the license and that is just a short-term deal. RECOMMENDATIONS We don't know about it ahead of time. It's done. The Commission recommends the following actions to more effectively counter the threat of Q. So might one ofthe recommendations be Afro-lineal organized crime: to have ABC contact the police department directly before it grants any licensing in 1. Spending programs should emphasize Camden ... ? the reduction of demand for the drugs whose sales A. Yes, both local and statewide. provide the profits which are the lifeblood of most of the Afro-lineal organized crime groups. In the Q. In terms of some of the. other businesses long run it will be cheaper and more beneficial for that are outside the jurisdiction of the ABC, society to spend significantly more for boot camps the launderies or whatever type ofcommer­ for youthful offenders, drug addiction treatment cial enterprise, is it possible to set up some facilities and vocational training, even if it means sort of licensure operation or coordination that less money will be available for more prison wirhtheDepartmentofState, in other words, cells. In addition, suburban customers of urban drug prior to the time that a business can be supermarkets should face tougher sanctions and incorporated or prior to the time it receives forfeitures. any other necessary papers from the state, is there some communication or coordination 2. Direct assistance to local law enforce­ that would be helpful at that level? ment should be increased so that more police can A. Again, this is an issue that is hard to get walk beats and help urban residents reclaim their ahead of Yau don't realize its happening neighborhoods. Meanwhile, programs thatencour­ unless you have someone working right in age community participation in efforts to stamp out Licensing and Inspection, or checking [it], drug trafficking and other crime should be en­ on a daily basis almost, that the takeover is hanced. The State Division of Alcoholic Beverage being done. A person comes in and applies Control should expedite appeals of local license for a permit or a license at a food store, revocations for those liquor establishments notori­ sandwich shop, steak shop; it doesn't raise ous as fronts for drug trafficking. any suspicion [at Licensing and Inspection1 that this is happening. 3. Law enforcement should devote a greater proportion of its intelligence effort to Afro-lineal Q./fwe, being the State, required that,prior organized crime groups. Equally important, this to the time that any business would open, information should be routinely shared among law

36 ------

enforcement agencies in a true spirit of cooperation. victory in the war against narcotics trafficking: The Narcotics and Organized Crime Management and Analytical Database (NOMAD) should be ... [A]s [the drug warJ becomes a more com­ expanded by eliminating federal funding restric­ prehensive effort, [with} ... law enforcement tions which deprive such systems of federal "drug being stepped up to the point where it has war" funds. been, ... education and treatment and reha­ bilitation also ... elevated to the same level, 4. Leaders of Afro-lineal organized crime then I think ... we can move evenfarther, ... groups should be targeted, exposed and isolated. and we will continue to have success as long They should be prosecuted as "drug kingpins" and as everyone understands that this is not denied bail if the government can prove they pose a something that law enforcement is going to dangerto the community. If granted bail, their trials solve by itself I don't think anybody in law should be expedited. Their investment of illegal enforcement believes that. We need these gains in legitimate assets should be traced. Finally, other components. Education, treatment afterincarceration they should be closely monitored and rehabilitation are just as important as in order to curtail their influence over their organi­ effective law enforcement. zations. More money should be provided for corrections 5. Law enforcement tools, which have proven resources capable of reducing drug demand: boot successful in the fight against La Cosa Nostra, camps, drug rehabilitation facilities and vocational should be retained and expanded to counter Afro­ training. Newark Police Director Coleman de­ lineal organized crime. Electronic surveillance is scribed for Commissioner Dumont the absence of particularly helpful. Meanwhile, New Jersey needs facilities to deal with youths who enlist in drug a state, law counterpart to complement the federal distribution and auto theft rings: statute dealing with money laundering. The ones that ... [serve] as lookouts, we The Commission is well aware of the fiscal don't bother to arrest them, first ofall--[ it's constraints which limit the State's ability to fund a} very hard charge to prove. The other kids some of these recommendations. However, much that are definitely engaged in the activity, could be accomplished without additional funding whether it's drug trafficking or auto theft, by simply altering correction and treatment priori­ we arrest those, and they are handled through ties, encouraging more flexibility in federal fund­ the juvenile justice system and, just like the ing, improving cooperation among agencies and adult system, there are so many kids in­ focusing more attention on group leadership. volved in there that they are released. There is no place to put them. EMPHASIZE REDUCTION OF DRUG DEMAND Unfortunately, too, it seems that [judges Our society should put proportionately more have] fewer alternative dispositions ... , to mone" into reducing the demand for drugs through incarceration, like reform school or juvenile preV(a ••• on, education and rehabilitation. Money schools ... , since those places are crowded. must be spent at the source of the drug problem -­ The kids that we are dealing with now are demand -- in order to avoid spending much greater not going to be released to the YMCA or sums for jails and the criminal justice system. some local social group because those groups Somerset County Prosecutor Bissell succinctly just aren't able to take responsibility for the described the right combination of resources for kids.

37 Director Coleman further explained that the crimi­ to increase by about 3,075 inmates (over 14.5 per­ naljustice system cannot cope with a solution based cent) during the next 18 months. The Commis­ largely on arrests, prosecutions and incarceration: sioner added that the state prison system is operating at approximately 140 percent of capacity. Current I think that we've seen that the drug arrests construction plans are not expected to reduce the really just led to a general breakdown ofthe number of adult state prison inmates (varying be­ criminal justice system, where we are not tween 2,800 and 3,000) who are housed in county seeing speedy trials, we are not seeing any jails under an emergency order that has been in justice at all. And it seems the more people effect for a decade. we arrest the more broken down the system becomes -- really nowhere to put these people There are some signs that the state government that we are arresting. They are right back is serious about devoting a greater share ofresources out. ... /T]here is simply no place to put to demand reduction. Under a 1989 law creating a them. The more people we arrest ... the more Drug Enforcement Demand Reduction Fund, the crowded the jails become, and almost all of S tate has collected more than $20 million in manda­ the prisons now are under some form of tory fines from drug offenders ranging from $300 to court order which says that you have to $3,000. In February of this year, $8.1 million of this reduce the crowding in the jail. money was made available to 300 municipal alli­ ances as seed money for their local education and He elaborated for Commissioner Merin: public awareness efforts against drug and alcohol abuse. The Governor's Council on Alcoholism and Let me say with respect to the penalties, I'm Drug Abuse has formally approved the first alloca­ not sure ifwe toughen the penalties that that tions of Fund money to authorized spending pro­ is going to make a major difference [against grams in Passaic, Bergen and Burlington counties. drug traffickers] . ... I think when we start to All 21 counties will eventually receive funds. The institute mandatory penalties and start to counties' shares are based on a formula which takes make them longer and longer, we just create population (including the proportion of juveniles), the need for more jail space and more pris­ incomes and numbers of arrests into consideration. ons which kind of got us here in the first place. We don't have enoughjail space. It's A portion of the remainder of the $20 million in not being builtfast enough to accommodate the Fund has been earmarked for the State Depart­ the people that we are arresting. A lot of the ment of Health for community drug programs. The police officers would be satisfied ifwe could rest is being held in reserve for future years. get them six months as opposed to six years, as long as we got them something -- when As a further means of reducing the demand for they are arrested at least they went away for narcotics, law enforcement should put increased sixmonths. Right now they are not going any pressure on suburban drug customers who frequent place because it takes too long. urban drug supermarkets to purchase their deadly wares. Increased seizures of the customers' auto­ Director Coleman's concerns are punctuated by mobiles would discourage drug use. projections for increased state and county prison populations in the coming years. On February 26, The present forfeiture law applies only to indict­ 1991, Corrections Commissioner William H. Fauver able crimes. A proposal which would have allowe~ reported to the Assembly Appropriations Commit­ the forfeiture of any property directly or indirectly tee that the state adult prison population is expected used in or derived from a disorderly persons drug

38 offense has not moved in the Legislature since the that support and involve civic groups eager to drive majority of prosecutors expressed opposition. The criminal organizations from their neighborhoods. prosecutors were concerned that public support for DEA Special Agent-in-Charge Ashton testified, drug enforcement would be weakened if the punish­ "[Wle need to have a positive law enforcement ment were too severe to fit the crime charged. presence in the community, and we need to solicit Amendments being suggested to the bill's sponsor, the community's trust and support." Senate President John A. Lynch, would allow the forfeiture of property involved in disorderly per­ Newark Police Director Coleman described how sons offenses so long as the offenders were arrested some of this funding could be put to work on the for indictable crimes that were downgraded to dis­ local level. He delineated a program, involving orderly persons offenses. The Commission believes Newark and State police, called Operation Home­ that something of this nature should be worked out stead, operating in Newark on a limited basis: so that casual, suburban drug users supporting urban drug supermarkets will face sanctions weightier We try to reduce the demand on drugs by than municipal court fines or driver's license sus­ being present in the community . ... We try pensions. to work and empower the community so that when the police do leave, at least the neigh­ A bill sponsored by State Senator Ronald L. borhood has been improved by our being Rice would mandate ajail sentence for anyone who there. It involves, too, bringing to bear buys, sells or obtains an illegal drug from ajuvenile. much more different resources than the police Senator Rice also has sponsored a bill that would on a particular problem . .. , We've seen by mandate a jail term for anyone buying, selling or arresting certain traffickers that others sim­ obtaining drugs in a municipality outside the one ply just take their place. What we try to do where he resides. The Legislature should study is improve the overall quality of that com­ these measures in relation to other mandatory incar­ munity, not just arrest the traffickers, but try ceration laws to determine which ones are useful. to help those there who need treatment. [We Assuming an ability and Willingness to substantially tfry to organize the community, [sol that increase prison capacity and criminal justice system when we do arrest one, no one rises to take resources, such measures may prove helpful in his place. discouraging the most insidious forms of drug traf­ ficking. In the absence of such a commitment, Since last year the Newark Housing Authority however, it would be more productive to devote (NHA) also has conducted a program called Opera­ scarce resources to more proven methods of demand tion Clean Sweep, a version of an anti-drug initia­ reduction. tive developed by the Chicago Housing Authority in 1988 to com bat drug activity through increased INCREASE LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT security and evictions, as well as rehabilitation of ASSISTANCE AND ENCOURAGE COMMU­ the housing stock. Under the program police secure NITY PARTICIPATION buildings by clearing them of people who do not belong there. Housing Authority workers then There should be more police walking the beat clean and repair hallways and apartments and install and patrolling in urban areas. The bulk of drug war new building entrance doors and locks. The federal law enforcement assistance funds should be pro­ government allocated $250,000 to the NHA to conduct vided directly to the local level where the real war is the program at three high-rise buildings in the Stella being waged against drug rings. We should devote Wright Homes within the last year. Another $1.2 more resources to community outreach programs million has been given to complete the remaining

39 buildings at the complex. Monmouth County Investigator Jordan described for Commissioner Evenchick how responsible Operation Clean Sweep should be just the start African-American leaders have involved themselves of a more aggressive program to clear drug-dealing in an effort to slow the growth of the Five Percen­ gangs out of public housing projects. The NHA has tel's: a security plan calling for $13 million to be spent to sharply curtail crime at its 36 projects. $600,000 in A lot of the community-based religious or­ local matching funds have been pledged by Newark ganizations, as well as the community, itself, City Council, but the State, which has been asked to have only recently started to, in my observa­ supply the rest of the money, has not promised tion, take a step forward and say, "Okay, anything in light of its present fiscal crisis. The enough is enough; there are too many kids U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Develop­ and innocent people being killed out there ment has also been asked to fund the proposal. The on our streets." And you have to understand NHA, which presently employs 105 mostly-un­ that we have seen a large jump in terms of armed security guards, wants to hire 400 police to activity, crime, with respect to this particu­ patrol its buildings. The full-time police patrols lar gang since 1980. Crime was relatively would also back-up tenant patrols called for by the low when they first came on the scene. And security plan. we keep active statistical records, and crime is up all the way across the board With Somerset County Prosecutor Bissell testified respect to this particular gang, so the com­ about how community activism helped to thwart the munity folk, educators, all of them are now Isaac Wright cocaine trafficking network: starting to become concerned. The denial is starting to stop, but some ofthe denial is still For example, right around the time of the there. Wright investigation and those arrests, the people in Robeson Village got together and Camden has also developed a program involv­ developed their own community watch where 'jng law enforcement interaction with the commu­ they put up a guard station at the entrance to nity. Camden Police Detective Louis Muzyczek the complex. And they wouldn't let in any described for the Commission the activities of a vehicle that didn't belong to a resident ofthe small Camden City Police Youth Task Force, "which complex, because the problem was, as people works to thwart the inducement of the city's youth like Wright and his suppliers would arrive in into the drug trade": these cars, people would come out, buy drugs and go back in. It was destroying their It was formed in October of1989 with a two­ neighborhood. They finally took matters fold mission. One, to eliminate shootings into their own hands in a peaceful way and and street corner violence and to prevent the took control of their neighborhoods and proliferation of youth involvement in the wouldn't allow this to continue. The effort drug trade. We also work frequently with goes on today, and from what we under­ the grade school children to educate them in stand, it's had tremendous success in im­ an attempt to eliminate the peer pressure of proving the quality of life in that area by middle school and high school age youths keeping these people that want to sell drugs who are already involved in the city's or­ out. ganized drug trade.

40 We go inside. We go into the neighbor­ their fast and flashy lifestyle. The group has distrib­ hoods, we try to get the confidence of the uted posters warning POS!:Cii to stay out of the parents and the people that live in there to schools. cooperate with us on the black-on-black crime that we see every day, the drive-by The State can assist overburdened municipal shootings. But we are severely understaffed. authorities by continuing statellocal cooperative programs and expanding others. For example, the COMMISSIONER DUMONT: How under­ State Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) staffed? should crack down on taverns which serve as drug distribution points, especially in urban areas. When A. We started with three, and there are a license holder appeals to ABC from a local license currently five ofus [in the Youth Task Force}. suspension or revocation, the local action is stayed When I came on the Camden Police Depart­ pending the appeal. This sometimes allows notori­ ment in 1974 we had approximately 465 ous drug distribution premises to continue under the police officers. At that time ... the major guise of a licensed liquor establishment for quite narcotic in the city was heroin, and ... it was some time while the appeal progresses. ABC should done at a house; it wasn't as open as it is coordinate with local authorities to expedite the today. Seventeen years later we have ap­ appeal process for the more disreputable licensees. proximately 280 police officers, and we have 38 drug sets, as opposed to four or five 17 INCREASE INTELLIGENCE GATHERING AND years ago. There is more crime out there, SHARING less police to fight the battle. The vast majority of police intelligence resources Camden Police Chief George Pugh highlighted over the years have been devoted to La Cosa Nostra the need for more police officers walking the beat in mobs. Insufficient attention has been devoted to inner-city neighborhoods: developing strategic intelligence about Afro-lineal organized crime. While law enforcement should Walking the beat by patrolmen, in my opin­ continue to focus attention on the LCN, it should ion, is the primary mechanism needed to commit a greater proportion of its intelligence effort reduce the open air drug markets we have in to Afro-lineal groups. As DEA Special Agent-in­ our cities today. Also, when we were able to Charge Ashton testified, "We need to recognize and have beat patrols in the City of Camden the identify the existence of these criminal organiza­ public perception relative to fear was the tions, and we need to develop and share strategic lowest in my entire career in the police de­ intelligence. " partment. We urgently need the funds to put the policemen back on the streets. Law enforcement agencies must also share their intelligence routinely in a true spirit of cooperation. In early 1990 police and school officials in The DEA's Ashton noted, "It is important that we Camden also formed a Committee on Gang Vio­ communicate and cooperate in these investigations." lence to increase coordination and information­ sharing between police and school officials about The Border Anti-Drug Team (BAT), described potential posse-related problems. Although most by Somerset County Prosecutor Bissell, is a good youth in the gangs or posses are not in school, their example of successful cooperation that should be violence sometimes spills over into the schoolyards, emulated. Efforts by groups such as Concerned and students are vulnerable to the enticements of Officers Organization on Gang Activities (C03GA)

41 should be encouraged. [T]he fact that the response rate was only about 75 percent indicates that the desired The Narcotics and Organized Crime Manage­ level of cooperation among law enforce­ ment and Analytical Database (NOMAD) should be ment agencies has not been achieved. This expanded to more municipal police departments. is disturbing in view ofthe fact that our own As part of the Attorney General's Statewide N arcot­ intelligence indicates that there are signifi­ ics Task Force, NOMA') provides a computer data­ cant problems with Afro-lineal criminal base to assist its partic11'iants in assessing the scope groups in several ofthe jurisdictions that did of illegal narcotics and <)t'ganized criminal activity not respond to the survey. in New Jersey. Present federal funding conditions, however, place restrictions on the use of federal Special Agent Best summarized the wide vari­ grants for such a project. This, and the absence of ations in recognition and coping with the problem of sufficient state funds, has preveNed the expansion Afro-lineal organized crime among law enforce­ of NOMAD to significant local police departments. ment agencies throughout New Jersey:

In an effort to determine how familiar New [T]here is a widespread activity of these Jersey law enforcement agencies are with Afro­ groups. There are SOme jurisdictions, in­ lineal organized criminal groups operating in their cluding several that we've heard from [in areas, the Commission sent surveys to various law the public hearing,] which are aggressive in enforcement agencies throughout the State. Each developing information about them, coop­ agency was asked to identify groups operating within erative with other agencies to promote prose­ its jurisdiction, the memberships and structures of cution and willing to share information. On these organizations, their characteristics, and their the other hand, several agencies deny the methods of operation, including their criminal ac­ existence of organized Afro-lineal criminal tivities. activity, and we find that they either have very little information concerning the lead­ A total of 65 surveys were distributed. Forty­ ership, structure or membership or they are nine agencies (approximately 75 percent) responded. negligent in sharing intelligence with other Seventeen of the 49 responding agencies indicated agencies. that they did not have any information to report. SCI Special Agent Bruce C. Best testified why the sur­ To deal effectively with certain groups, it is vey results were disturbing: necessary to have multi-jurisdictional cooperation on a national scale. For example, Nigerian criminal Some of the 17 [agencies] that reported groups involved in fraud schemes are highly mobile having no information are in localities where and use fictitious means of identification. Just as in other agencies reported significant activi­ the case of Jamaican posse figures, mobility and ties by Afro-lineal criminal groups. Whether concealment of identity have caused significant agencies are not sharing their intelligence, problems for law enforcement. The U.S. Bureau of or do not wish to acknowledge that there is Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (A TF) created a a problem, is unclear. The result is that the national intelligence data base on the various ali­ collective arm of law enforcement has not ases, nicknames and social security numbers util­ established the necessary unified effort against ized by the Jamaican criminals. A similar program these criminal organizations. should be established for Nigerian criminals in order to link individuals to frauds perpetrated in

42 diverse jurisdictions. Such a system, including geted Mr. Pray. My experience has been photographic elements, is especiaU y important since that if an individual is involved in criminal Nigerian criminals often use the identities of legiti­ activity and we target and direct our efforts mate individuals. As local law enforcement is the towards him, we will develop the sources of first line of defense against Nigerian fraud schemes, information and be able to take him or to access to such a national data base should be permit­ arrest him. That's what happened in the ted at the local level. Pray case. It was a more concerted effort, a cooperative effort that we were able to de­ TARGET. EXPOSE AND ISOLATE LEADERS velop informants and sources ofinformation which were able to lead us to his arrest. Working cooperatively, law enforcement should identify and target the leaders of organized criminal Similar coordinated efforts have proven suc­ groups for the most attention and the severest pun­ cessful elsewhere. Since the creation in Philadel­ ishment. Effective use of federal and state "drug phia of the Violent Traffickers Project, which in­ kingpin" statutes should be a priority. When the cludes federal, state and local officials, approxi­ leaders are arrested, they should be denied bail if the mately 250 individuals have been indicted, over 200 government can prove that they pose a danger to the have been detained without bail, and the conviction community. If they are granted bail, their trials rate is 100 percent. should be expedited so that they can be removed from the community as soon as possible. Courts In July 1990, coordinated law enforcement, should be given the resources to handle cases more assisted by substantial information from people in quickly. After targeted leaders are incarcerated, affected communities, pbtained a federal indict­ they should be so closely monitored that they can ment in Philadelphia against 46 leaders and mem­ have no continuing influence on their organizations. bers of a Jamaican-led organization called the Gran­ dison Cocaine and Crack Organization. The alleged DEA Special Agent-in-Charge Ashton connected ringleaders, Derrick Anthony Grandison and Cecil the targeting of leaders to narcotic demand reduc­ Everard Walters, both Jamaican citizens who have tion efforts: been living in the United States for several years, were charged under the federal "drug kingpin" We need to vigorously pursue our demand statute, which provides for a mandatory minimum reduction programs and quickly remove sentence of 20 years in jail and a maximum of life criminalleadersfrom the community before inprisonment. The group stored, manufactured, they have the opportunity to establish them­ prepared and distributed cocaine from 56 locations selves as role models for the young. throughout Philadelphia and three others in Brooklyn, Far Rockaway and Staten Island in New York. Special Agent Ashton described for Commis­ sioner Evenchick the coordinated effort among The Camden Police detectives described for the federal, state and local law enforcement that eventu­ commissioners the difficulties encountered in fo­ ally led to the successful prosecution of Wayne Pray cusing law enforcement resources on the leaders of and the serious disruption of his organized criminal the criminal groups: group, The Family: DETECTIVE GEORGEJOYNER: In refer­ In general, l'd have to say that it was more ence to the 1,200 I drug arrests made by a concerted, concentrated and cooperative Camden Police in 1989 and 900 made by the enforcement effort which directed and tar- Camden County Prosecutor's vice unitj, we

43 have a high rate ofrecidivists . ... [T] he same to force them to cooperate against the king­ guys are arrested two or three times within pins [or] there is too much insulation there. one year for the same activity. '" We don't have a super criminal population. We have DETECTIVE M UZYCZEK: That's correct a group that is locked into that point. ... too. [W]e have the same thing over and over, a small number ofpeople continuously being COMMISSIONER MERIN: Do you find arrested and just repeat over and over and that there is a great deal offrustration with over, and these kids range from, how old? thejudiciai system,peopie that will come in and get out on bail and have that lengthy DETECTIVE LEONARD HALL: Twelve. period of time between the time they are apprehended and when they actually go to DETECTIVE JOYNER: YOl/II get 12 and trial? 14-year old kids who might get arrested two or three times within a three-month period, DETECTIVE HALL: Well, I do, because so it's not a large number of criminals, just basically ifyou give a guy ayiwr, ... he does a large number ofarrests on the same crimi­ four months. That means he's finished with nals. his time, andfour months later we got him again .... [I]f he didn't [plead gUilty and] COMMISSIONER DUMONT: What is the take a year{'s sentence], he's out there [on answer to the recidivism? bail] for a year to a year and a halfbefore he comes to trial. So these guys are actuaUy DETECTIVE LOUIS MUZYCZEK: I think laughing at you. He gets caught with $2,000 we have to get down to the bone. We have to [one] day. If you let him out ofjail and you go after the individuals that are providing catch him five days later, [he's] got 2,000 the narcotics in the city, these people that more dollars in his pocket. are insulated by other people working for them . ... [W]efill our jails up withjust street COMMISSIONER MERIN: How do you corner dealers. It's a revolving door for feel about the concept of preventive deten­ them; we don't have the space. Ifwe had the tion that would allow someone to be held in manpower to sweep our streets initially and jail until the trial comes up? then target the kingpins and work towards putting them away, they are the people that DETECTIVE HALL: That would be good, organize these youth and impress them to go very good. outanddo this. These are the people that we have to show the public we are going after. COMMISSIONER MERIN: I know [U.S.] If we don't have the drug kingpins who Senator [Edward] Kennedy ... had intro­ provide the source, we won't have the can­ duced that proposal several years ago .... cer. [I] t' s a controversial idea, and many people are coming to the conclusion that for those COMMISSIONER DUMONT: That says to kingpins,for those people that were leaders, me, though, you are not getting enough it would be beneficial to keep them behind cooperation from the people lower down. bars until their trial comes up. Either their sentences are not severe enough, that there is not enough pressure put on them

44 CHAIRMANZAZZALI: ... [TJhatnewState there were about 15,000. And clearly there corrections facility [in Camden} was built are more '" people that should be in prison what, two and a half years ago? than there are cells. And again I think that one of the recommendations might be to DETECTIVE MUZYCZEK: Yes. target those people that are going to spend time ... in prison and make sure that it's the CHAIRMANZAZZALI: It was built to house leaders, it's the kingpins, that are there and 450 people? not the people that maybe can be penalized in a different fashion. DETECTIVE HALL: Yes. COMMISSIONER DUMONT: The prob­ CHAIRMAN ZAZZALI: The population today lem, though goes back to my point that is? unless you penalize the people lower dOl-vn in some form you are not going to get their DETECTIVE HALL: 1,300. cooperation to identify and prosecute the kingpins. At least you are not going to get CHAIRMAN ZAZZALI: Gone from 450 to that form of technique to be effective. It is 1,300 in a brand new facility in two and a exceedingly complex. halfyears. And there is a lawsuit over that brought by the Public Advocate against the Elizabeth Police Detective Thomas Swan em­ Attorney General and the people in Camden phasized that for some time after initial arrests County, am I correct? E'Port Posse members continued their violent co­ caine trafficking and turf wars: DETECTIVE HALL: Yes, sir. They were rapidly able to make bail, despite CHAIRMAN ZAZZALI: The Special Mas­ thefact they posed a danger to the commu­ ter, Justice Schreiber, came down with a nity. Meanwhile, priority for trials was recommendation just two weeks ago .. , tell­ given to incarcerated individuals unable to ing the county to take out how many, 450, I make bail because they didn't have the re­ think? sources of an organization behind them. Therefore, the arrested members ofthe Pret­ DETECTIVE HALL: Yes. low gang continued to prey on the commu­ nity for lengthy periods. CHAIRMAN ZAZZALl: Just trying to dem­ onstrate, without passing judgment on any As part of the effort to thwart the ability of the issue on anyone, the multidimensional com­ leaders of organized criminal groups to accumulate plex nature ofthe problem. I share Commis­ wealth and power, authorities should devote more sioner M erin's feelings. resources to tracing the investment of illegal gains in legitimate businesses. Taxation officials should COMMISSIONER MERIN: I think at the be more involved in this process in cooperation with beginning of 1982 there were about 7,000 other law enforcement officials. State prison cells, and at the end ofthe 1980s

45 RETAIN AND EXPAND ORGANIZED CRIME conduct an investigation and bring that in­ FIGHTING TOOLS vestigation to a successful conclusion. And, in addition, the continuing cooperation has Existing law enforcement tools, such as elec­ allowed us [to continue to have successes.] tronic surveillance, which have proven so success­ For example, in the Franklin Township area ful in the fight against La Cosa Nostra, should be there was a group who came together shortly extended to deal with equally dangerous groups that after Wright was taken from the scene and have thus far not received equal attention. Somerset tried to fill the void that was created two or County Prosecutor Bissell related how electronic three months down the road by the absence surveillance and law enforcement cooperation helped of this group. And the BAT [Border Anti­ to defeat the Isaac Wright group and a would-be drug Team] concept allowed us to identify successor: this group, to infiltrate it [and] to make arrests. And all of those people have since There is no question that we would not have been arrested, convicted and .. .incarcer­ had the success in this operation without the ated. And that Edgemere area in Franklin is availability of that electronic surveillance, a much improved area in terms of it being and we certainly need that. And we are less susceptible to narcotics trade today .... going to have to develop greater capability, because while we have the capability with In addition to maintaining the present law en­ respect to land line telephones and the like, forcement arsenal for dealing with organized crime, they are now into a new generation ofmobile additional tools should be considered by the Legis­ cellular telephones, telephone pagers and lature in order to fill any gaps. For example, New those kind of things. Jersey still does not have its own law against money laundering to complement the federal law dealing And I think the other aspect of it is also the with money laundering. cooperation, the need for cooperation be­ tween law enforcement agencies. Certainly our agency could not have conducted this investigation by itself. We could not have *** been as successful without the willingness of the State Police to become involved and to The SCI investigative team for the inquiry into help us essentially desig n the equipment that Afro-lineal organized crime was headed by we needed and to find somebody to manu­ Deputy Director and Counsel Robert J. Clark facture itfor us. So, the combination of all and Senior Special Agent Francis A. Betzler those things allowed us not only to recognize and included Special Agent Bruce C. Best and that we hadanorganizedgroup, [it] allowed Intelligence Analyst Debra A. ~owney. us to target the group and allowed us to

46