Quote:
Yeah, that ought to work. I'm surprised nobody thought of that before.

9 'Jersey City Boys' held as suppliers of heroin to Pa.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
By MICHAELANGELO CONTE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Drug traffickers dubbed "The Jersey City Boys" funneled large amounts of heroin from Jersey City to Wilkes-Barre, Pa., until the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office locked up nine of the "boys" this week, officials said.

"We believe that the Jersey City Boys have been regularly distributing cocaine and heroin in South Wilkes-Barre for a long time," said Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett when he announced the arrests Tuesday.

Corbett said Jersey City Boys members routinely made trips to Jersey City to pick up heroin for distribution in Wilkes-Barre.

Investigators believe the crew was responsible for distributing more than 2,000 bags of heroin per week, with an estimated street value of $40,000.

Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said Saiid "Doc" Richburg, 35, who was charged with multiple drug counts in the probe, is wanted in Hudson County for skipping out on three separate bails totaling $135,000.

Richburg failed to appear for a pre-sentencing hearing in July, and in August he was to be sentenced in three unrelated cases charging him with drug possession with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of a school, DeFazio said. He faces eight years in prison with no chance of parole until he serves four years, DeFazio said.

A confidential informant told police he bought heroin from Richburg in Jersey City and then helped him move it from New Jersey to Wilkes-Barre. The informant said he personally participated in trafficking 6,000 bags of heroin from Jersey City to Wilkes-Barre, according to court papers.

Investigators built their case with a number of undercover drug purchases. The operation also led to the arrests of Pennsylvania residents Damon "D-Block" Thomas, 35; Justin "J" Patrick, 24; Crystal "Baby Momma" Miller, 33; Ennis "Kayen" Jackson, 33; Mandel "Kay" Kirkland, 35; Lee Atkinson Jr., 26; Angie Atkinson, 24; and Danielle Tomkoski, 23, officials said. Corbett said Miller was captured selling heroin while pushing a toddler in a stroller.

"Operation Heavyweight," which began in December, also led to the arrest of 13 members of a Wilkes-Barre drug trafficking group known as "The Long Island Boys," who were considered more dangerous and were involved with a turf war with a gang from Philadelphia, officials said.

"Many of these drug dealers had violent criminal pasts, illegal weapons and were known to use violence when they deemed necessary," Corbett said. The investigation is ongoing and more arrests are expected, he added.

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Reject heroin to oust gangs

Published: Thursday, October 23, 2008
citizensvoice.com

Where does the money come from?

On Tuesday authorities arrested 27 people ? mostly members of two gangs ? for selling heroin in the Sherman Hills apartment complex and in South Wilkes-Barre.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett said the two gangs sold between $100,000 and $150,000 a week in heroin.

That adds up to several million dollars a year.

How can that kind of money come from the people of this area?

It?s good that the attorney general and law enforcement agencies are getting these gangs off the street.

The Long Island Boys and the Jersey City Boys are the names of the gangs.

They have been known to use violence, even murder, in their operations and against each other when fighting over turf.

So attorney general Corbett is correct when he says, ?The streets of Wilkes-Barre are a little safer today after the arrests of these individuals. Many of these drug dealers had violent criminal pasts, illegal weapons and were known to use violence when they deemed necessary. Today, they are no longer roaming the streets.?

But the question remains, who buys this heroin and where do they get the money?

Corbett says there is demand for heroin in Northeastern Pennsylvania and that?s why the dealers come here.

So the long term solution is for people to reject heroin. If people say no to the drug, the dealers will not be able to make money and will move away. If the people don?t put up the money, the dealers will have no reason to be here.

Accused Violent Drug Gang Members Arrested in Wilkes-Barre

Posted: Oct 21, 2008 05:12 PM
Last Updated: Oct 21, 2008 05:15 PM
By: Sarah Buynovsky

Police arrested more than twenty people today in Wilkes-Barre -- members of what they call violent drug gangs. Investigators say the two gangs, known as "The Jersey City" and "Long Island Boys" brought in millions of dollars a year by dealing heroin in parts of Wilkes-Barre.

Those arrests reveal new information about violence in parts of the city.

Investigators say, the money, guns and drugs tell the story of a bloody turf war between two violent gangs at Sherman Hills housing complex in Wilkes-Barre. One gang is from Philadelphia the other, a rival gang called the "Long Island Boys", and both are struggling to control the heroin trade in the city.

Police say, the "Long Island Boys" took control when Aaron "Rock Star" Baxter, the leader of the rival Philadelphia gang was gunned down in a Sherman Hills hallway in June.

According to officials, the "Long Island Boys" were also responsible for the brutal torture and beating of a teenage boy in August.

They say he was burned with hot knives, cut with scissors and left in a bath tub.

Cops say with most of the gang under arrest, they're hoping to clean up Sherman Hills.

"The management has been cooperative with the investigation. We have some plans for the future that I'm not going to discuss right now, but we hope to see some significant improvements in Sherman Hills." according to Wilkes-Barre Police Chief Gerry Dessoye.

Then there is a third gang, "The Jersey City Boys", who cops say controlled the heroin trade in South Wilkes-Barre.

Police say these drug dealers are likely responsible for a rash of shootings in the area. Also, most of the "Long Island" and "Jersey City Boys" members are locked up but a few are still at large.