Machine Gun ‘Switch,’ Crack Cocaine Seized In Reading Drug Bust: Berks DA
A narcotics and firearms investigation in Reading ended with the seizure of crack cocaine, marijuana, and a handgun equipped with a dangerous machine gun conversion device, authorities announced on Friday, March 13.
Angel Benitez, 52, of 122 West Elm Street in Reading, was taken into custody after Berks County Drug Task Force detectives executed multiple search warrants early that morning, according to the Berks County District Attorney’s Office.
The investigation began in January and led detectives to obtain warrants for Benitez, his home on West Elm Street, and his cellphone, the DA’s off…
Mount Vernon Gang Member, 28, Faces Jail After Being Caught With Submachine Gun Variant: DA
A Westchester County man identified as a member of a violent street gang has been convicted on several felony weapons charges following a search that uncovered multiple loaded firearms and high-capacity magazines, prosecutors announced.
Mount Vernon resident Malachi Beccan, a known member of the Makk Balla Family, a subset of the Bloods street gang, was found guilty by a jury of second-degree and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, Westchester District Attorney Susan Cacace said on Friday, Oct. 31.
Prosecutors said that on Jan. 23, 2025, investigators from the Westcheste…
From Mexico To Orange County: 7 Linked To Fatal Newburgh Shooting, Drug, Gun Pipeline, Feds Say
Federal prosecutors have unsealed a sweeping indictment charging seven men with operating a violent drug trafficking and racketeering network that they say stretched from Mexico to the Hudson Valley, NY, and left an innocent bystander dead in Orange County.
The case, prosecuted in White Plains federal court, charges the men with narcotics distribution and importation, racketeering conspiracy, murder, firearms trafficking, and related crimes tied to years of activity in Middletown, Newburgh, and beyond, the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced on Tue…
Brutal Kidnapping, Beating Of 15-Year-Old In Brentwood Earns MS-13 Member Decades In Prison
An MS-13 gang member will spend over a half century behind bars for kidnapping and brutally assaulting a 15-year-old boy inside an abandoned building at Long Island’s Pilgrim Psychiatric Center.
Yeison “Yerba” Chavez-Campos, 23, of Huntington Station, was sentenced to 52 years in prison in Suffolk County Court on Wednesday, Aug. 20, after a jury convicted him of gang assault, kidnapping, and related crimes.
The attack happened on Jan. 6, 2024, when Chavez-Campos and other MS-13 members lured the victim to the Huntington Train Station, prosecutors said. The group robbed him and repeatedly be…
MS-13 Gang Member Gets Life After Execution-Style Murder, Leaving Man For Dead In Gaithersburg
A Maryland MS-13 gang member who gunned down one victim execution-style and left another for dead in a wooded park will spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Edgard Castro-Contreras, 21, was found guilty on Friday, April 4, of first-degree murder, conspiracy, and multiple other charges tied to the November 2022 gang-related ambush that left 20-year-old Edvin Agustin Leon dead in Silver Spring, the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office said.
The second victim, Alex Castro Sabrian, was shot several times but survived by playing dead. He then crawled through a quarter-mile of Northwest…
MS-13 Gang Member Kidnaps, Beats, Stabs NY Teen At Abandoned Asylum In Brentwood: DA
A 15-year-old boy was lured, kidnapped, and beaten unconscious in a horror attack inside an abandoned building at the Pilgrim Psychiatric Center in Brentwood, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced on Friday, July 19.
Yeison “Yerba” Chavez Campos, 23, of Huntington Station, was convicted by a jury on multiple violent felonies for his role in the brutal gang assault, including Kidnapping in the Second Degree and Gang Assault in the First Degree, prosecutors said.
Campos is the final member of the Huntington Criminal Locates Salvatrucha or “HCLS” clique of the MS-13 str…
Final Suspect Arrested In Norristown Gang Killing Of Tahaj 'Pooh' Harrison
The last of three teens accused in the targeted killing of 20-year-old Tahaj “Pooh” Harrison in Norristown has been arrested, Montgomery County authorities announced on Wednesday, June 26.
Jabril Morgan-Cook, 18, of Norristown, was taken into custody without incident after he was found hiding in a home in Pottstown Tuesday night, according to District Attorney Kevin R. Steele.
He joins co-defendants Kaleem Roland, 16, and Naseem Worrell, 17, who were both charged earlier this month.
Ambush On Corson Street
Police say Harrison was killed around 9:43 p.m. on Friday, May 23, when three masked…
ICE Detains Glen Rock Synagogue Custodian Mid-Interview, Mayor Issues Urgent Call For Help
The mayor of a Bergen County town is calling on the public to send urgent letters of support after a beloved synagogue custodian was detained by ICE officials during his asylum interview this week, without explanation or paperwork, she said.
Jorge Tomas Dagar Aquino, who has lived in the United States for more than 20 years, was taken into custody around noon Monday, June 16, at the Newark Asylum Office, Glen Rock Mayor Kristine Morieko said.
Jorge, who fled Colombia to escape gang violence and economic instability, has worked at the Glen Rock Jewish Center since 2013 and became a…
Central Islip Brothers, 19 & 20, Deported Without Warning Despite Pending Legal Status: Lawyer
Two Long Island brothers who spent nearly half their lives in the US were abruptly deported, despite having no criminal record and a pending path to legal residency, their attorney claims.
Jose Trejo Lopez, 20, and Josue Trejo Lopez, 19, were deported to El Salvador on Wednesday, May 7, just weeks after a New York Family Court granted them legal guardianship—an important step in their effort to remain in the US legally, their attorney, East Islip immigration lawyer Ala Amoachi, said.
The brothers, originally from El Salvador, came to the US in 2016 at ages 10 and 11 with their mother, fleei…
Rap Videos Bragged Of Teen Shootings, Robberies: 22 Mak Balla Gang Members Indicted
Gang members filmed rap videos bragging about real violence—including 17 shootings, 22 illegal firearms, and over 40 narcotics deals—leading to a 168-count indictment of 22 alleged Mak Balla Family members, Suffolk County prosecutors announced Thursday, May 1.
'MBF 'Til The Death'
The MBF is a subset of the New York Blood Brim Army and operates primarily in the Long Island communities of Mastic, Mastic Beach, Shirley, and Coram. Prosecutors say its members took oaths, followed written gang “paperwork,” and pledged loyalty “MBF ‘til the death,” all while waging violent campaigns to gain terri…
Duo Shot, Killed 20-Year-Old Partygoer, Piercing His Heart, Outside Valley Stream Venue: Jury
Nearly two years after a 20-year-old man was shot and killed outside a Long Island venue, his killers are facing justice.
Kyle Matthews and Isaiah Gonzalez, both 23, were found guilty of second-degree murder and related charges by a Nassau County jury on Thursday, April 10, for their roles in the August 2023 gang-related slaying of DeAndre Carter.
Matthews and Gonzalez targeted a party on Ocean Avenue that was attended by individuals affiliated with the Crips street gang on the night of Aug. 21, 2023, according to the Nassau County DA’s office. The pair opened fire with two .380 caliber pis…
Huntington MS-13 Member Who Kidnapped, Stabbed 15-Year-Old Boy Extradited To Suffolk County: DA
An alleged MS-13 gang member who had been on the run for more than a year is back on Long Island, accused in a brutal kidnapping and stabbing of a 15-year-old boy.
Josue Zepeda-Padilla, age 28, of Huntington Station, was extradited from North Carolina and arraigned in Suffolk County Court on Tuesday, April 8, stemming from a brutal 2024 gang attack at the abandoned Pilgrim Psychiatric Center in Brentwood.
The teen victim was lured to the Huntington Train Station on the morning of Jan. 6, 2024, by a group of alleged members and associates of the MS-13 Huntington Criminal Locates Salvatrucha,…
MS-13 Gunman Who Walked Victims Into Gaithersburg Woods, Killed One, Now Faces Life In Prison
A Maryland MS-13 gang member who gunned down one victim and left another for dead in a wooded park has been convicted of murder, prosecutors announced.
Edgard Castro-Contreras, 21, was found guilty on Friday, April 4, of first-degree murder, conspiracy, and multiple other charges tied to the November 2022 gang-related ambush that left 20-year-old Edvin Agustin Leon dead in Silver Spring, the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office said.
The second victim, Alex Castro Sabrian, was shot several times but survived by playing dead. He then crawled through a quarter-mile of Northwest Stream …
Teen, 18, Hid Gun Under Pillow After Firing At Rival Gang In Middletown: DA
An Orange County teenager has admitted to gun charges after firing shots at two people he believed were rival gang members, prosecutors announced.
Middletown resident Dylan Saldana, 18, pleaded guilty on Monday, Feb. 24, in Orange County Court to second-degree criminal possession of a weapon in connection with an incident in November, Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler said on Tuesday, Feb. 25.
The shooting occurred on Nov. 19, 2024, around 7:00 a.m., when Saldana was walking on Wickham Avenue in Middletown. Prosecutors say he saw two people he believed were associated w…
Death Row Inmate Tam Le, Who Murdered Brothers, Found Dead In Pennsylvania Prison
Tam Le, a convicted murderer sentenced to death for the brutal killings of two Philadelphia brothers, was found unresponsive in his cell at the State Correctional Institution at Phoenix, officials announced on Wednesday, Feb. 5.
SCI Phoenix Superintendent Joseph Terra said prison staff and medical personnel attempted life-saving measures, but Le, 53, was pronounced dead at 7:23 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025.
Le was sentenced to death in December 2016 for the 2014 killings of brothers Vu “Kevin” Huynh, 31, and Viet Huynh, 28. Authorities said Le, a member of the Vietnamese gang "Born to Kill…
