Members Of 137th St. Crew Indicted In Harlem Gang Crackdown
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Fourteen members of a violent street gang have been indicted after terrorizing central Harlem for years, officials announced Wednesday.
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance said "2 Mafia Family" and "Goons on Deck" joined together to form "137th Street Crew" - a crack operation.
Vance tells 1010 WINS' Juliet Papa the drug wars kept Harlem residents trapped in their homes
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"This gang, over years, created an environment where residents lived in a state of alert and a state of fear ready for the next gunshot and the next drug deal," Vance said.
At least a dozen of the suspects are expected in court later Wednesday after being indicted on conspiracy charges in the takedown.
WCBS 880's Irene Cornell with more details on the street gang crackdown
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Investigators built the case using surveillance video and recorded telephone calls between members behind bars.
"They shared news within Rikers Island of the activities of the 137th Street Crew," Vance said.
Officials said the gangs recruited teenage girls to run their guns and drugs.
Prosecutors said the gang used shootings, beatings and robberies to protect their turf and gain street status on a stretch of West 137th Street and openly dealt crack in apartment lobbies and near Harlem Hospital and the Abyssinian Baptist Church.
It's one of several recent crackdowns on gangs in the Tri-State region.
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