Police have arrested the 14-year-old boy’s mother and aunt, who are accused of murdering a Newark officer.
Rabiyah Sorey, 43, the mother of the teen accused of murdering Detective Joseph Azcona on March 7, was identified by New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin as the putative head of the Double ii, a Bloods-affiliated street gang.
Sorey, her twin sister Hadiyah Sorey, and 24 other accused gang members or associates were arrested by state officials on March 24th, according to court documents examined by The New York Post.
Rabiyah is being charged with felony racketeering, conspiracy, assault, as well as narcotics and firearms violations.
Authorities claim Double II operated an open-air narcotics business in the 200 block of North 9th Street.
Just days before their arrest, the New York Post interviewed Hadiyah Sorey on North 9th Street about her nephew and the allegations against him, during which she brazenly boasted about earning $4,000 per day from narcotics transactions.
“I got the whole north behind me,” Hadiyah Sorey said, referring to Newark’s North Ward. “I do what the f–k I wanna do.”
Investigators claim that nine people worked as “creepers” for Double ii, delivering heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl for the gang, and that these “creepers” allegedly committed acts of violence under Rabiyah Sorey’s orders, including assaults on those who crossed her.
Other people apparently took on responsibilities as managers or enforcers for the organization.
Wiretaps and surveillance footage let detectives connect Rabiyah to at least four shootings between April 2023 and December.
According to authorities, the gang had a drug manufacturing facility inside Sorey’s home in Elizabeth.
During the operation, investigators seized around $17,000 in cash, as well as drug paraphernalia such as empty glassine envelopes, tape, rubber bands, and digital scales, according to prosecutors.
“Illegal drug trafficking continues to impact the lives of New Jerseyans, and gangs like the one described in today’s criminal complaints seek to profit from the sale of these potentially fatal drugs,” said Platkin in a statement.
“This particular drug enterprise is charged with routinely engaging in violence for the sake of intimidating others, maintaining gang discipline, and controlling their territory. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to protect our cities and towns from these criminal organizations,” Platkin continued.
