BGF indicted in prison smuggling scheme

Federal authorities indict alleged gang members, jail guards
Indictment alleges criminal conspiracy inside Baltimore City Detention Center

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Outside the Baltimore City Detention Center (Baltimore Sun photo by Robert K. Hamilton / April 23, 2013)
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Alleged gang member accused of avenging associate's death
Robbery sting nets alleged Black Guerilla Family members in West Baltimore

Baltimore Crime Beat blog

By Ian Duncan, The Baltimore Sun
4:22 p.m. EDT, April 23, 2013

An alleged cabal of corrupt corrections officers and members of the Black Guerilla Family gang had almost free rein inside the Baltimore City Detention Center, smuggling drugs and cell phones into the jail and having sexual relationships on the inside, according to federal indictment unsealed Tuesday.

The indictment names 25 people — including 13 female corrections officers — who face racketeering, drug and money laundering charges. It alleges that Tavon White was the leader of the gang inside the jail.

"This is my jail," White said on an intercepted phone call, according to the indictment. "I'm dead serious … I make every final call in this jail … and nothing go past me, everything come to me."

The indictment and a related affidavit allege widespread corruption inside the jail, with the gang leaders relying on guards and inmates with special privileges to carry out their smuggling operations. The result, according to the court documents, was a lucrative operation, with White saying he made as much as $15,800 one month, and gang members turning $1,000 in profit on an ounce of marijuana.

The indictment alleges that corrections officers associated with the gang were easily able to smuggle contraband because security procedures were lax, and sanctions were minimal. The guards were able to enter the jail through certain entrances without any security screening, and had a number of ruses to pass undetected through the main entrance, according to the indictment.

"The procedures and personnel [at the main entrance] were completely inadequate to prevent smuggling," the indictment says. 'The chances of being searched effectively were remote."

The U.S Attorney's Office and other law enforcement officials will hold a news conference on the indictment Tuesday afternoon.

Officials with the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, which runs the detention center, condemned the alleged violations. They said they played a role in investigating the allegations laid out Tuesday, and pointed to past efforts to fight gangs in prison.

"Ninety-nine percent of our Correctional Officers do their jobs with integrity, honesty and respect," department secretary Gary Maynard said in a statement. "Today's indictment, along with those in the past, show that our Department will not stand idly by and let a few bad actors affect the security of our institutions."

Attorneys for the defendants could not immediately be identified. White is awaiting trial on a state attempted murder charge, but online court records do not list an attorney for him in that case.

Glen Middleton, the executive director of AFSCME 67, which represents corrections officers at the Baltimore City Detention Center, was not immediately able to comment on the allegations.

White had sexual relationships with numerous prison guards and got four pregnant, prosecutors allege. Two of the guards had his name tattooed on themselves, according to the indictment.

"These sexual relations cemented the business ties and the association of the corrections officers with the enterprise," prosecutors wrote.

Using smuggled cell phones, the BGF leaders were able to ensure that a steady supply of marijuana and prescription medications flowed inside the jail, and continue to run gang activities on the outside. In BGF jargon, members inside the jail are described as being "on the sea," while those on the street are said to be "on the land," FBI investigators wrote in an affidavit filed in connection with the case.

Money also flowed freely through the jail's walls, according to the indictment, transmitted through prepaid Green Dot cards.

The Black Guerilla Family, a gang with roots in California prisons, has been the dominant gang at the detention center since 2006, prosecutors wrote in the indictment. They said the group has been attracting the attention of Baltimore police and federal law enforcement in recent months.

Commissioner Anthony W. Batts blamed the gang for a rise in homicides toward the end of last year, and the Drug Enforcement Administration has been operating stings against suspected gang members.

In March, the Baltimore State's Attorney's Office indicted David Hunter, an alleged BGF member, on a rare gang charge. He was already facing a murder charge, and Monday his trial date was postponed to June.



Read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/blog/bs-md-ci-bgf-jail-indictment-20130423,0,1619914.story#ixzz2RK4qRzK1

You beat me to posting this info again, we're either very interested in BGF activities or having a slight competition on posting first. LoL. But it seems that the BGF influence inside prison is quite firm.

being a fan of the wire is kind of what interests me in baltimores drug scene, but yeah it does seem we are probably the two posters with the most interest in this.
It is evident that they have the numbers for both controlling the prisons and expanding and killing on the streets. this seems like it was more of a prison operation.If there is anyone from baltimore on here it would be good to know whats going on in the streets. the BGF were feuding with members of the tree top pirus blood gang who are a los angeles based gang that spread across the country.pirus are no light weights either, they were the guys that produced the stop snitching videos and also have ties to the los angeles based ttp bloods too.

last tree top piru indictment in baltimore
http://www.justice.gov/usao/md/Public-Af...GunCharges.html

Here is the Rico indictment unseal : http://www.scribd.com/doc/137740004/Indictment

No more mooly posts

OH god not again.

You won't be warned again about using racist terms.

Mr.SC it's fine, let them be. This way you can keep a check list of the unwanted.

It's NOT fine. It's against the rules of the boards and it's plain mean.

Alright. Just don't understand why there uncomfortable with these post, didn't they read my name BLACKfamily? Anywho, back to the BGF.

Even if they convict this gang boss, it's not like it's going to change anything, since he is already in prison, unless they transfer him to another place with harsher conditions (although there is no prison secure enough from which people wouldn't manage to pass orders, for example the Sicilian boss Mariano Agate made contacts with Colombia from his 41-bis-regime cell).

found this organisational chart

Everytime a mafia hit goes down its in the news. BGF, everytime a crip shoots a blood please post it. Youd be posting every 2hours.

lol we would probably have to wait another decade before the mafia do another hit.

Not sure why this topic suddenly got all shitty and racist, the bgf are a long respected organized crime group, and anyone who does just a slight bit of research will know that african american organized crime is not a new thing in the least. And in many cases african american organized crime groups are just as powerful and influential if not more so than so called "Traditional" groups.

All that BS aside, I happen to be from Baltimore, and since I have contacts at both the Baltimore Sun and in the streets I'll try to give my 2 cents. Basically the BGF are immensely powerful in the prison/jail system. This is nothing new though. The BGF have been the top gang in the correctional system for quite some time in Maryland. What's more worrying is their presence on the street. Their numbers are increasing exponentially.

Historically, Baltimore is not a city that tends to take part in organized crime. For the better part of the last 50 years, most criminals were part of small neighborhood crews, normally controlling only small areas of land, such as a corner or a housing project. These crews would feud with neighboring crews for territory in the always booming drug market.

In the early part of the 21st century the profile of a Baltimore criminal changed. The Bloods first came to note in neighboring County jails and prisons. The first official recognition of the Bloods in Maryland was in Harford county, though the presence of both Bloods and BGF in correctional facilities likely preceded this by some time.

From their, gang membership spread like wildfire. Baltimore became, gang wise, a Blood city. Their are, as the previous poster noted, the Tree Top Piru Bloods, The Pasadena Denver Lane Bloods, The South Side Brims, The Bounty Hunters, and many more smaller cliques.

But getting back to the subject at hand, the BGF. In the last few years the presence of the BGF exploded on the streets. Members who joined while locked up came back on the streets as hardened gang members. While gang membership in prison isn't uncommon, the reason so many BGF remained with the gang after leaving incarceration is due to the fact that the old street crew system was gone. The streets were in large part controlled by Bloods, and since these BGF already chose to not be Bloods in prison, the same priorities stuck on the street.

BGF became a large presence quickly. BGF recruitment went into overdrive and more and more young men were joining up. Back in 2009 it was discovered that high ranking member Rainbow Williams was a mentor for at risk children, a position that likely allowed him access to a pool of future soldiers for the gang.

As the BGF grew, so did their territory. They moved farther up into northern Baltimore, where they have met the most resistance. North Baltimore is dealing with the most violence it's seen in years due to the conflict between the Bloods and the BGF. (Though on a personal note, living not 5 minutes away from some of the most intense fighting, I'd have to say the BGF all but control the area.)

At this point it seems the BGF are the most visible and powerful gang presence on the streets of Baltimore. Don't be surprised if they remain in the news. In Baltimore and Maryland as a whole, the BGF and the DMI (Dead Man Inc. A gang that was initially somewhat of a BGF offshoot for Caucasians) yield the most power, and for the foreseeable future, that will remain the case.

Sorry for the lengthy post, just trying to keep people informed.

i read that the leaders of the dmi were trying to take the gang in a white supremacist direction.

I thought that baltimore still had alot of neighbourhood crews and kingpin types. Are the bloods in the city mostly west coast affiliated sets cause i noticed you mentioned the bounty hunters as well.

To answer your questions:
1. The DMI have been veering in a more white supremacist direction as of late. Back in 2009 their was a inter-gang conflict between the members who wanted to go into a whites only direction versus members who wanted a mixed gang. At a point the gang was letting in African Americans and other non-Caucasians. By 2010 the problem was apparently solved. The old school leaders such as Perry Roark (AKA Saho The Ghost) and James Sweeney have been given federal life terms and neither have much of a role in the gang at this point. I wouldn't call the DMI a white supremacist gang yet, but in all actuality it's only a matter of time.

2. Neighborhood crews are still prevalent, because Baltimore, as it always has, likes to go against the grain organized crime wise. That being said, the role of the crew and kingpin is more and more diminished. It's much easier for people to join gangs that give better flexibility than to align with a small crew from the block. The last big kingpin I can think of is Steven Blackwell. http://www.fbi.gov/baltimore/press-relea...ring-conspiracy

3. In terms of affiliation with west coast groups that's a bit of a toss up. The Bloods in Baltimore are decendents of the Bloods from New Jersey (Started by OG Mack) and those bloods never had any West Coast affiliation. But at the same time, not to long ago a west coast representative of the Bloods was called over to come and shape up a local crew, later being captured and convicted for his crimes. So it's yes and no, but as a whole, most Blood groups are in name only, and have little to no West Coast connection.

As for the Bounty Hunters, they are more prevalent in southern MD, like PG County, and parts of Northern Virginia, but I threw them in anyways because they do have something of a presence locally. If you'd like to know more about the Bloods in Maryland I did write a decent paper on the subject a year back, I'd be happy to share it.

yeah that would be great, you can private message me or post it up for everyone unless you have a problem with that.

My theory on the bloods is that guys that were in prison and had contact with west coast guys either got permission or joined up for protection but then brought it back home with them, however i think that is as far as it goes however like you mentioned there have been cases of west coast guys coming over.

can we get some pictures of the bitches that got indicted

I have heard of these black mafia guys. They are the ones who were behind young jeezy, right? Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

i found an article on that blood from LA who came to baltimore.
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2007-04-04/news/0704040123_1_blake-bloods-heroin

naw the east coast bloods literally woke up one day and decided they're bloods

a lot of blood sets outside the westcoast were started by NON BLOOD MEMBERS

the new York bloods started in jail as a way for protection againt latin kings

they weren't sanctioned by California bloods

I'll just copy and paste it, so sorry it's pretty long. This was written for an organized crime course, so their are references to organized crime structures that may seem somewhat out of place.


A Comprehensive Study on the Growing
Presence of the Bloods Street Gang
In Maryland




When someone hears the word “gang” what do they think of? For most it’s an image of a group of intimidating young men wearing red or blue, Bloods and Crips. While the term may conjure different images for different people, with the mental image changing to accommodate whichever “new hybrid gang” was featured on the evening news, from the 18th street gang in the 90’s, to the MS-13 in the mid 2000’s, to the Juggalos of 2011, (FBI, 2011, pg. ?) more often the not, the word gang is in a way synonymous with the Bloods and the Crips. The Bloods and the Crips changed the face of gangs. Gone are the days of a Westside Story-esque group of rough and tumble yet lovable street youth busting noses with brass knuckles when they weren’t singing. While it can never really be pinpointed when the Bloods and the Crips came into national spotlight, it can be agreed that no gang has ever made as much of a pop-cultural impact on America quite like the Bloods or the Crips. But this is a paper regarding the impact of the Bloods on Maryland, not the impact of the Bloods and the Crips on America.

The history of the Bloods is quite a bit more muddled as compared to the history of the Crips. Unlike Raymond Washington and Tookie Williams, no figure-head developed to represent the Bloods, at least not until the 90’s with OG Mack. A general consensus though, is that the Bloods began in the mid 70’s as a counter group to the Crips. The Bloods began like most all gangs do, as a loose-knit group of wayward youths, drawn together by one singular cause, this time being the harassment and violence dealt upon by the Crips. (Walker, 2011, pg.1-1) Eventually, both the Bloods and the Crips grew quickly, having sets throughout America and even into Europe. (Walker, 2011, pg.1-1)

It should be made clear now, that despite the name, and most often despite what little ties these sets have to any governing body, most Bloods gangs, are technically, not the real Bloods. Most often these groups, with both the Bloods and the Crips, take the well known gang name and apply it to themselves. Very often a set of Bloods is just as likely to be at war with another set of Bloods as it is to be at war with a set of Crips. But these are all generalizations, some sets do receive blessings from a governing body in California, some do make payments to said governing bodies. But for the most part any group claiming to be the Bloods has no real backing behind their name beyond what muscle and allies the group has made on its own. In a sense that’s what the Bloods have always been though. They have always been a loose-knit association of criminals working together for a mutual benefit, be it money, protection, family, or most likely money. The Bloods, of any kind, fit the bill quite perfectly for the Social Disorganization Theory of organized crime. (Lyman, 2011, pg.58) Most often these groups are found in areas of vast urban decay and tend to have a core membership of young African-American men with little in terms of money, family, or community.

O.G. Mack, born Omar Portee, is the man given the most credit for introducing the Bloods street gang into the East Coast. (NYUSDOJ, 2003, pg. 1-6) In 1993, OG Mack created the Bloods gang inside Rikers Island alongside another inmate, Deadeye, born Leonard McKenzie. OG Mack formed the United Bloods Nation as a way to protect himself and gain power while incarcerated. (NYUSDOJ, 2003, pg. 1-6) Eventually the gang spread throughout penal institutions on the East Coast. Some members of this prison gang, including OG Mack, were eventually paroled, thus giving the Bloods a very strong street presence throughout the East Coast. (NYUSDOJ, 2003, pg. 1-6)

While there were never any signs of the Bloods in Maryland prior to 1993, it can’t be said definitively that the influx of Bloods gang members in Maryland is due solely to OG Mack. While many of the various Blood sets have ties to New York based gangsters, as is often the case due to New York being a hub for illegal narcotics, it is clear that in naming their gangs the Bloods of Maryland take inspiration from sets in California as opposed to New Jersey and New York. Names like Pasadena Denver Lane, Tree Top Piru, and the various Brim sets (MDUSDOJ, 2008-2010 pg. 1-1) harken to the long standing California street gang, as opposed to the more non-traditional East Coast names such like M.O.B (Money Over Bit**es), Sex.Money.Murder, and Gangsta Killer Bloods, that are normally found in East Coast cities.(NYUSDOJ, 2003, pg. 1-6)

There is no official time when the Bloods were first introduced in Maryland. The Baltimore Sun first introduced the idea of a Bloods gang in Maryland in late 2004, with a story related to the murder of a cab driver in Harford County. (Mitchell, 2005 pg. 1-1) This does not by any means imply that there were no Bloods in Maryland until after the 2004 presidential election. A more realistic time table is the one given by the Maryland United States Department of Justice (USDOJ, 2008, pg. 1-1) during the sentencing of Tree Top Piru (TTP) Bloods leader Steve Willock. In his guilty plea, Willock acknowledged that the TTP Bloods first came to fruition at the Maryland Correctional Institution – Hagerstown (MCIH) in 1999. This general basis for the introduction is much more reasonable of a time table due to the likelihood of the Bloods being introduced in the prison system, much like how the United Blood Nation in New Jersey was, as well as the Maryland grown Dead Man Incorporated (DMI) group in recent years. This time-table is also appropriate due to the fact that it, along with the first semblance of Bloods gangs being mentioned by major print publications, indicate that the Bloods in Maryland first came to prominence in surrounding parts of Maryland instead of Baltimore, which coincides with Baltimore’s long-standing reputation of being a more independent city in terms of its criminal groups, who tend to dismiss more organized structures in favor of smaller block-by-block crews.

Throughout the last five years, the Bloods have become a very visible presence in Maryland, Baltimore to be specific. The first major Bloods set to come into the spotlight were the Tree Top Piru (TTP) Bloods set led by Steve Willock. On September 19, 2008, 28 members of the TTP Bloods were indicted in Maryland federal court. Among the large variety of crimes the TTP Bloods were believed to have committed were five murders, as well as the planning of several other murders and the execution of other attempted murders. (MDUSDOJ, 2008, pg. 1-1) Of all the Bloods groups mentioned in this paper, the TTP Bloods are the ones who most closely take after the “authentic” Bloods of California. Steve Willock even went so far as to ask, and receive, permission to create this set from Bloods members back in California. (MDUSDOJ, 2008, pg. 1-1)

The next Bloods set to receive attention from first law enforcement, and later the public, were the Pasadena Denver Lane (PDL) Bloods. Although not involved in as many violent crimes as the TTP Bloods, the PDL Bloods still had a strong presence in Maryland, with 42 members being indicted federally in Maryland on May 28, 2009. The PDL group also had strong ties to the California Bloods, going so far as to make payments to the California Bloods as well as ask advice on various gang related problems. (MDUSDOJ, 2009, 1-1).

Finally, the most recently infamous Bloods set in Maryland are the South Side Brims (SSB) Bloods. This group is believed to have started in 2005 by Andre Roach. The SSB Bloods are named after the Fruit Town Brims of California, an offshoot of the original Piru Bloods. Since the SSB Bloods were indicted fairly recently, on October 13, 2011, not much information is known about them. What is known is that along with all the other groups mentioned, they have a history of violence and play a major role in the drug trade in Maryland. (MDUSDOJ, 2011, pg. 1-1)

According to “Organized Crime Fifth Edition” by Michael D. Lyman and Gary W. Potter (2011), the working definition of organized crime is according to the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime; “[a] structured group of three or more persons existing for a period of time and acting in concert with the aim of committing one or more serious crimes or offences in order to obtain, directly or indirectly, a financial or other material benefit.” This is a very loose definition of organized crime, but it certainly fits the Bloods in Maryland. All of the aforementioned groups consist of more than three members, they exist for a certain period of time, they commit one or more serious crimes on a daily basis, and they certainly earn financial benefits from their criminal acts.

But that definition is vague, and doesn’t emphasize the Bloods in Maryland as an organized crime group. In general there are two accepted organized crime structures when referring to street gangs. The Tier based structure, which is very similar to the classic Bureaucratic Structure long used to describe the Mafia, and the Loose Structure, which is most similar to the Network Structure used by many organized crime experts nowadays. The Tier Structure implies a very stringent and vertical gang hierarchy. It consists of a Leader, with a council of high ranking members underneath him, followed by several lieutenants, who then control the street members, who control the recruits, prospects, and other associates. This is nearly identical to the Bureaucratic Structure, and is widely accepted by many. The Loose Structure on the other hand, may be a more reasonable description of the Bloods in Maryland. Each set has its own Loose-Knit structure; there is a set leader, who due to the relative infancy stage of the various Bloods Gangs in Maryland, is normally the person who created the set originally. After that the structure gets muddled. There are higher ranking shot-callers, normally career gangsters or co-founders of the gang who make various difficult decisions and give orders when necessary. And then there are the various regular members. Some may be considered enforcers, and others simple street dealers. But the thing to note with this structure is that all of these roles can interchangeable. A leader can take part in a shooting, or a lowly street dealer can recruit others to commit murders and sell drugs for him. Take for example Terrence Richardson, the leader of the PDL Bloods. Despite being a founding member of this set and a man who could order killings on a whim, he also took part in very street level crimes, and at the time of his arrest for various racketeering charges, he was in a car, armed, and ready to go over to a cooperating witnesses house to commit a murder. (MDUSDOJ, 2009, pg. 1-1) On the flip side is Marcus Pearson. In 2007 PDL gang leader Patrick Byers while incarcerated for murder in Baltimore City used a contraband cell phone to order the murder of Carl Lackl, a man who was scheduled to testify against Byers in his upcoming murder case. The hit was delegated to Marcus Pearson, a regular gang member. Pearson, contacted Steven Thompson, another PDL gang member to commit/recruit someone to commit the murder. Thompson recruited a 17-year-old junior gang member, who did indeed murder Mr. Lackl. In this one gang; the PDL Bloods, there was an instance of the leader doing the work of a Junior member himself, while at nearly the same time there was a regular member who ordered others to commit a murder he was delegated. (MDUSDOJ, 2009, pg.1-1) And that’s how a Loose Structure works, it’s a structure that’s only limitation is how industrious a gang member decides to be.

The Bloods are currently the largest gang in Maryland. According to the Department of Legislative Services Office of Policy Analysis 2009 Gang Report, there are thousands of known gang members in Maryland. Of those a very large portion are Bloods. To be more specific, in Baltimore City, there are over 900 members of the Bloods, which is three times that of the Crips. In Harford County, of the 247 known gang members, 121 were members of the Bloods. So how does one gang gain so much leverage in the state of Maryland? Through violence, smart leadership and intimidation.

Since 2005 the Bloods have been the perpetrators of some of the most serious and tragic crimes in Maryland during that time. Besides the five murders committed by the TTP Bloods mentioned earlier, and the murder of witness Carl Lackl, the Bloods have taken part in a exorbitant number of murders. The first violent incident involving Blood members was the killing of a taxi driver in Harford County. Two members of the 9 Tre Gangsta Bloods Subset were charged and convicted of killing the father of nine during a robbery. (Mitchell, 2005, pg. 1-1) This was just a taste of things to come. In 2005 19-year-old Reshawn Myers was kidnapped and murdered on orders of Bloods leader Terrance Smith. (Bykowicz, 2006, pg. 1-1) Also in 2005, 16-year-old Bloods member Donta Bain stabbed a man to death during a gang fight in Harford County. (Fenton, 2006, pg. 1-1) In 2006 high ranking California Bloods member Shaidon”Don Papa” Blake came over to Baltimore to help smooth out the problems facing the local Bloods when he kidnapped, stabbed, and burned the body of a man in West Baltimore. (Sentementes, 2006, pg. 1-1) In 2007, 37-year-old Kenneth Lawrence Higgins, a very high ranking member of the Bloods, was sentenced to Life for murdering and disemboweling a fellow inmate in 2005 while he was serving time at Maryland House of Correction Annex in Jessup. (Siegel) There is also the 2007 Northwest Baltimore murder of 16-year-old Brent D. Flanagan who was stabbed to death, dismembered, and set on fire in a row-home. (Sentementes, 2007, pg. 1-1) In 2009, Robert Murphy a member of the “L Gang” a Bloods subset, shot and killed a cab driver who had just taken him from Frederick to Baltimore. (Fenton & Sentementes, 2009, pg. 1-1) In December of 2008 in Baltimore, six members of the Bounty Hunters Bloods set beat, stabbed, and set on fire a man who owed the gang money. (Fenton, 2009, pg. 1-1) Also in 2008, four members of the 92 Family Swans Bloods Subset, stabbed and beat to death a fellow gang member in Randallstown due to fears that he may be a homosexual. (Madigan, 2010, pg. 1-1) But the Bloods don’t always kill to prove a point. In 2005 several members of an undisclosed Bloods gang threw Molotov cocktails at a community activists house, sending a very clear message throughout the streets of Baltimore. (Dolan, 2005, pg. 1-1)

Despite what any politician or wishful thinking police commander may say, gangs, and the Bloods in Maryland, have a very clear presence and are not going to be going away anytime soon. The sheer level of violence and numbers exhibited by the Bloods makes them a very serious threat to the safety of anyone and everyone. Many people will automatically think of the Bloods when you say the word “gang”, but if this paper has proved anything, it’s that it may be about time you start thinking of the Bloods when someone says the words “Organized Crime.”


Bibliography available upon request

ForgettableName, no need to apologize for the posts being long, I personally like reading long pieces of information, it's always better than posts like "Go Fat Tony" or "f@ck Gigante" etc

No, your thinking about BMF( Black Mafia Family).

It's a mixture of United Blood Nation and L.A Bloods sets. The loose structure refers to l.a sets which are collective crews but ubn sets have a tier based structure. In generally UBN are influential in east coast cities.Some UBN sets and a few l.a sets I might consider criminal enterprises but an organized crime group as whole I disagree.

thanks for the essay, very interesting.

there are a number of bloods gangs in new jersey that have been started by west coast gang members.

the double 2 set in east orange new jersey was started by two rappers who were members of the queen street bloods in inglewood california.

fruit town brims in nj was also founded by vincent young
The indictment describes how Vincent Young, 41, a/k/a “No Good,” a/k/a “Good,” a/k/a “Big Head,” a member of the Los Angeles-based Fruit Town Brims Set of the Bloods street gang, traveled from California to New Jersey in 1993. While in New Jersey, Young killed a person he believed had threatened members of the gang. While in the New Jersey state prison system, Young founded and became the leader of the New Jersey-based Set of the Fruit Town Brims.

There was a case recently where you had members of the UBN in north carolina getting busted and one of their leaders was giving orders from huntington beach, california.

wow he got 4 of them pregnant lol

yeah i guess not only was he getting sex but also impregnating them made them more loyal to him.

new article about the drug prices in maryland, mentions bgf members who got caught in that robbery sting.

Illicit drug prices in Baltimore fluctuate under DEA estimates
Federal estimates changed by 30 percent since December, court docs say

Two kilograms of suspected cocaine and other drugs are shown… (KIM HAIRSTON / Baltimore…)
April 27, 2013|By Justin Fenton, The Baltimore Sun
A group of alleged Black Guerrilla Family members met last December to discuss a robbery with a confidential source, who, unbeknownst to them, was working with the Drug Enforcement Administration. The price of cocaine in Baltimore City at that moment was "high" at $40,000 per kilogram, agents wrote in court documents, making the proposed robbery "especially lucrative."

"Coke price [is] high and everything, but a better price is free," the source told the group. In a more recent court document, however, that estimate had tumbled by 30 percent.

The DEA tracks the fluctuations of drug prices, which can be a gauge of national and regional trends, as well as effectiveness of law enforcement efforts, said Edward Marcinko, a spokesman for the agency. A high price for heroin, for example, could in part reflect successful efforts to stem the supply, he said.

It could also predict looming conflict over what's left.

"Prices are going to be high until other shipments start coming in," Marcinko said.

The information comes through undercover purchases, cooperating witnesses and suspects, and other evidence-gathering means, he said. "When we talk to defendants, we ask, 'What were you paying for it, what were you getting for it, what were you charging customers?'" he said.

Generally, the cost of drugs increases the farther they get from the Mexican border. As recent cases have shown, drug traffickers have been accused of using everything from charter jets to trucks carrying strawberries to mobile homes and jet skis to get drugs across the border and into various markets.

"All of that is a gamble, and all of that costs extra," Marcinko said.

Baltimore has primarily been a market for heroin over the years. But recently, pharmaceuticals have risen in popularity and availability, Marcinko said. He cited information collected through December, the latest statistics available for the region.

The two go hand in hand. When heroin is in short supply, addicts may turn to drugs such as oxycodone "to get their fix," he said. That has in turn led to a spike in heroin use. In the Cincinnati area, for example, one surge has doubled the number of fatal and nonfatal overdoses, according to a report in the Cincinnati Enquirer.

After heroin and pharmaceuticals, the drugs most available in Baltimore are, in order: crack, cocaine and marijuana, Marcinko said. Baltimore Police have said that a recent string of violent home invasions may have been propelled by a new, powerful strain of marijuana that had been introduced into the region.

Nationally, cocaine use is down 50 percent since 2006, while methamphetamine use has fallen by one-third, White House drug czar Gil Kerlikowske said at an event in Baltimore last week.

According to the report, the wholesale price for a kilogram of cocaine in Baltimore was $28,500. Court documents reflect the volatility of the market.

The Black Guerrilla Family case brought in January listed the wholesale price as $40,000, and another case filed in April also listed the price as $40,000. But in a case filed last week, in which agents said they seized 10 kilograms from homes in Owings Mills and Phoenix, Md., the drug's going price was listed at about $28,000.

Other prices listed in the report: $40 to $100 for a gram of heroin, $16 to $20 for a capsule and $35,000 for a half-kilogram. Oxycodone costs $25 to $30 per 30 mg pill.

Marijuana, the documents estimate, goes for $1,150 per pound and $300 to $400 per ounce, he said. That's on par with the price that the website PriceofWeed.com, a site that asks users to submit how much they paid and aggregates the information nationwide, reflects for the area's highest-quality product.

35 shot and 14 killed during the past week, They are linking some of it to the bgf/bloods feud and also to the crackdown on the bgf in the detention centre.

http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2013/06/28...6-since-friday/

I wonder who is doing most of the damage between the groups at this point.

35 shot 14 killed in one week wow. even Dorchester isn't that bad

there was some explanation to some of the shootings.

http://citypaper.com/news/what-will-he-do-1.1514492

Federal authorities have charged 14 more corrections officers with corruption at the Baltimore jail, adding new breadth to allegations that the Black Guerrilla Family essentially took over the downtown detention center.

The officers were among 19 suspects accused in indictments unsealed Thursday, deepening the scandal that broke in April with charges that two dozen officers, detainees and associates worked together to smuggle drugs and other contraband into the jail.

One of the officers charged this week was a K-9 supervisor and Army reservist now deployed to Afghanistan. Another is said to have maintained a romantic relationship with an inmate in a Hagerstown prison.

Prosecutors do not say the gang has continued its reign following the initial bust, but they say wiretaps and witness interviews have revealed just how much power the BGF accumulated.

As many as three-quarters of the approximately 650 officers at the Baltimore City Detention Center were involved in contraband smuggling, witnesses said in court documents, contradicting assertions by corrections department officials that the "overwhelming majority" of staff members at the jail were clean.

Some state lawmakers said Thursday that the latest allegations call into question whether state officials are moving fast enough to review possible gang ties among officers still working at the jail.

The allegations unsealed in April — packed with lurid details of sex behind bars and brazen boasts by gang leader Tavon White that he controlled the jail — set off widespread criticism of Gov. Martin O'Malley and the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.

Twenty-five defendants, 13 of them corrections officers, were charged in that indictment. Sixteen of them, including White, have pleaded guilty to racketeering.

After the original charges, state officials promised to stamp out corruption. In recent weeks, the department gave reporters a tour of the cleaned-up jail and published statistics they said show declines in smuggling and violence.

Gov. Martin O'Malley thanked federal authorities Thursday for continuing to investigate.

"Since April, we have redoubled our efforts to crack down on corruption and improve security at our correctional institutions," O'Malley said. "Protecting the integrity of our correctional institutions requires constant vigilance, and we continue to improve those efforts every day."

But a representative of the AFSCME unit that represents jail officers said the new indictments will shake the confidence of workers trying to get back to doing their jobs.

"It's really shocking because we thought this stuff had ended," union representative Archer Blackwell said.

The new court filings describe cellphones smuggled inside of sandwiches and marijuana inserted in body orifices. They also paint a more detailed picture of the alleged activities of the BGF behind the jail's walls and the network of gang ties that prosecutors say were built up through smuggling deals and sexual relationships.

In a search warrant application connected to the charges, an FBI agent wrote that officer Milshenna Peoples traveled to visit an inmate at Roxbury Correctional Institute in Hagerstown. She was captured on surveillance video being fondled under her pants, the agent wrote.

Another of the newly charged officers, Riccole Hall, was the roommate of a woman who has already pleaded guilty.

She allegedly had a relationship with an inmate who described her as his wife, and resigned after pictures of her — including one showing his name tattooed on her wrist — were found on the inmate's phone.

One source reported seeing Michelle Ricks, a sergeant, "sing her song" to pledge allegiance to the BGF, prosecutors said.

Ricks declined to comment. The other officers could not be reached and no attorneys were listed for them in court records.

Some of the officers named in the latest indictment had previously been sanctioned for suspected gang activity. Ashley Newton was suspended in 2011 after she allegedly let a group of inmates out of the cells and the inmates stabbed someone, a FBI agent wrote in filings.

Eight of the newly charged corrections officers have already left the department. Officials said the remaining six have been suspended.

The corrections department has begun its review of all employees at the jail. Security chief Shavella Miles was ousted after she failed a polygraph test, officials said. A new leadership team has been installed.

Miles, who says she was made a scapegoat, is seeking to be reinstated.

Del. John W.E. Cluster Jr., a Baltimore County Republican, said Thursday's charges did not seem to stem from the internal investigation. He questioned whether the department was moving quickly enough with its own review.

"If these people are saying that 50 to 75 percent of the corrections officers are dirty … what is the internal investigation doing?" Cluster asked. "I don't care if they have limited opportunities [to commit crimes] now. ... If they did it before they're going to do it again."

The FBI reiterated in court documents that the state's process for disciplining corrupt officers is ineffective and is exploited by gang members.

"They don't even really be firing [anybody]," corrections officer Jennifer Owens said in a telephone call that was intercepted by investigators, according to prosecutors. "Like they give people the option to resign … for real."

Owens was indicted in April and has pleaded guilty.

Cluster, who is part of a legislative group formed to evaluate corrections security, said he plans to introduce legislation in the next General Assembly session that would make it easier to investigate and suspend officers suspected of smuggling.

The officers union fiercely opposes changes to state laws that protect members.

After the first indictment, the corrections department, state police and the Baltimore City state's attorney's office teamed up to develop further corruption cases. That partnership has led to several new charges, including accusations against two of the people named in the new federal indictment.

State Sen. James E. DeGrange Sr., one of the leaders of the legislative corrections commission, said the group plans to produce its final recommendations at a meeting in early December.

Its suggestions will likely include reclassifying some crimes as felonies and authorizing more corrections officers to make arrests, the Anne Arundel County Democrat said.

Most of the changes made at the jail so far have involved new procedures or technology to more effectively search people who enter the facility. In recent weeks, officials have shown off a sophisticated new surveillance camera system.

The department also plans to introduce technology to disable contraband cellphones, making it harder for gang members to coordinate their activities.

The result of the efforts, according to the corrections department, has been a decline in the number of assaults inside the jail and the amount of contraband being smuggled.

The GPS tracking device is also a kind of electronic product and a lot of people now are suffering from the tracking of it and this is really a kind of suffering for them. And for the people who hate of being tracked then the portable gps jammer sale is a good assistant.