In a crackdown on organized crime, 18 alleged co-conspirators were arrested in Newark, New Jersey, after a 14-month investigation into a significant drug trafficking network. The operation, led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Newark and numerous federal, state, and local partners, dealt a significant blow to a violent street gang that controlled the drug trade in the Bradley Court Public Housing Complex.
The arrests, which occurred predominantly on July 1 and two additional times on July 2, resulted in federal charges against 24 persons. While four suspects are still at large, law enforcement executed seven federal search warrants in Essex County, dismantling a complicated criminal operation.
“Law enforcement partnership and teamwork were essential in our success,” stated HSI Newark Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel, emphasizing the thousands of hours of police work that went into the operation. “The livelihood of the tenants throughout 10 three-story apartment buildings who have been plagued by this dangerous enterprise for far too long can now feel a sense of safety and security.”
The HSI investigation found a sophisticated network linked to international organized crime that distributed over 400 grams of fentanyl and a kilogram of heroin. During the operation, investigators recovered around $113,000 in cash and drug revenues, as well as illegal firearms, ammunition, narcotics (including 28 bricks of fentanyl and heroin), and multiple cars.
The defendants are members or associates of the Bloods-affiliated street gang “Sex, Money, Murder,” also known as Munn Block, M-Block, and Tombstone Gang (TSG). This organization carefully regulated the drug trade in the Bradley Court Housing Complex. The gang, which was closely aligned with another Bloods faction called Voorhees (collectively known as “MunnHees”), extensively used social media platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, and X (formerly Twitter) to conduct their illegal business, communicate, and even promote their activities through drill rap videos designed to intimidate rivals and the community.
“These individuals engaged in the most dangerous of action, were armed and were involved in shootings,” SAC Patel highlighted. “They peddled narcotics to include fentanyl, heroin, and crack cocaine, all while risking the lives of those around them for power and money.”
U.S. Attorney Alina Habba emphasized the gang’s negative influence on the neighborhood. “For far too long, the Bloods have overtaken the Bradley Court Housing Complex—turning its courtyards and residential buildings into a hub for pumping deadly fentanyl into the city of Newark, while endangering the lives of the citizens who call this community home,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Habba. “This poison has torn families apart and claimed countless lives. That’s going to stop today.”
The meticulous investigation included extensive surveillance, many controlled narcotic transactions, seizures, and a detailed analysis of phone data, all of which confirmed the charged defendants’ extensive interactions.
The federal allegations against 23 people are principally for conspiring to distribute fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine. Sebastian Pierrecent, Quayyan Johnson, and Tauheed Carney are also charged with possession of a machine gun. Pierrecent is also accused of possessing firearms and ammunition as a convicted criminal, with specific charges linking them to a machine gun used in a June 17 shooting in rival gang territory.
This operation was a joint effort between U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Marshals Service, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, the New Jersey State Police, the Newark Police Department, the East Orange Police Department, and the Newark Housing Authority Security Department.
“These arrests affirm my office’s commitment to taking guns and drugs off the streets and serves as a clear warning to anyone who considers engaging in violent activity,” U.S. Attorney Habba stated. “If you spread this poison or engage in this violent activity, we will use every resource necessary to find you, dismantle your operation, and prosecute you.”
