Seventeen members of the 230 Boyz street gang have been charged for their alleged roles in drug conspiracies involving the distribution of heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine base, announced U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito on Thursday.
Authorities charged Aaryn Abrams, 23; Najier Boone, 23; Carl Brown, 25; Keith Brinkley, 29; Zikeme Brooks, 26; Davine Campbell, 38; Shaquille Fabor, 26; Tawan Grier, 20; Isaiah Hargrove, 20; Tyson Jacobs, 20; Amir Jones, 20; Dashion Kelson, 39; Dwayne Northern, 34; Wyzier Peterson, 22; Jimir Ricks, 25; Maurice Tisdale, 26; and Cequan Wharton, 25, all of Paterson, with three interrelated drug conspiracies involving the distribution of heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine base in the Passaic County area.
Additionally, Grier is charged with distribution of cocaine base and heroin; Boone and Campbell are charged with distribution of cocaine base, authorities said.
Nine of the alleged gang members were arrested on Thursday. Seven others were already in state custody, authorities said.
Brinkley remains at large, authorities said.
All 17 are members of the 230 Boys which primarily operates out of Rosa Parks Boulevard and Godwin Avenue in Paterson. Authorities conducted controlled drug purchases, recorded telephone calls and text messages, carried out physical surveillance, and analyzed telephone call details that determined from September 2018 through October 1, 2019 the alleged gang members conspired to distribute drugs.
“Gang members who traffic in narcotics pump poison into New Jersey streets and put our citizens at risk of addiction and violence,” Carpenito said, “The charges announced today result from the combined work of our federal, state, and local partners, and will help ensure that these defendants no longer threaten our communities with these harms and instead are held responsible for their crimes.”
Multiple law enforcement agencies began investigating the 230 Boyz, also known as 230 Boys, beginning in September last year, authorities said. The gang gets its name from the liquor store at 230 Rosa Parks Boulevard.
“Today’s arrests are a direct result of the hard work and collaboration between ATF, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and our local, state, and federal partners in addressing gangs and their associative violence,” Charlie J. Patterson, ATF Special Agent-In-Charge, said. “Without question, gangs destroy communities. Let these arrests serve as a deterrent to those who think they have free reign to utilize the illegal drug trade to facilitate violence and spread fear in hopes of creating strongholds in our communities. ATF will continue to make addressing violent crime a priority and will stand together with our partners to make the City of Paterson a safer place for all of us.”
Authorities said the gang recruits people who live within its turf. A member gains credibility with the gang by selling large amounts of drugs, authorities said. Gang members sell drugs on Godwin Avenue between Rosa Parks Boulevard and East 18th Street; and in the vicinity of the 12th Avenue basketball courts.
“The removal of these gang members from the streets of Paterson have made the city a safer place,” Susan A. Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Jersey Division, said. “The DEA and our law enforcement partners will continue to target those individuals and organizations who choose to put communities at risk by dealing dangerous narcotics.”
Members of the 230 Boyz are often feuding with other local gangs. The group has had ongoing disputes with the 4K Korner Boys, which operates from Rosa Parks Boulevard between Keen and Lyon streets; Glock Boys, which operates from the north side of Paterson, and often referred to as “down the hill” by the 230 Boyz.
17 people linked to the 4K Korner Boys were arrested in a crackdown last June.
230 Boyz are allied with the Uptop, a street gang that operates out of the vicinity of Governor and Carroll streets. Uptop gang has members who previously belonged to the 230 Boyz, according to court documents.