Alleged Members of Buffalo's 'Schuele Boys' Gang Rounded Up in Crime Sweep -
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- A crime sweep Wednesday led to the arrests of 13 alleged members of a Buffalo gang that law enforcement officials call the most violent group in Western New York.
U.S. Attorney William Hochul said members of the Schuele Boys are believed to have been the intended targets of the 2010 shooting outside City Grill that killed four people and injured four others.
Hochul says the Schuele Boys have been operating on Buffalo's east side for at least four years. They're accused of buying and selling drugs and committing acts of violence, including shootings.
The joint law enforcement effort started at 5 a.m. Wednesday, with 17 SWAT teams executing arrest and search warrants.
The defendants are facing charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, and 280 grams or more of crack cocaine.
They're also charged with unlawful use of a communication facility in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
There are still four defendants who haven't been taken into custody at this point, and the FBI encourages them to turn themselves in. They do say, however, that the alleged leader of the gang, Marcel Worthy, is one of the 13 now off the streets.
"He's the coordinating ring leader. He actually has pretty good leadership skills in coordinating his organization. He's been a long-time narcotics trafficker, and there are certain allegations against him that he's directed violent crimes," said FBI Assistant Special Agent Holly Hubert.
If convicted, these 17 defendants face a minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, with a maximum of life behind bars, as well as significant fines.
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http://buffalo.twcnews.com/content/news/...h.zbklbDI8.dpufThirteen members of a drug gang with ties to the City Grill massacre four years ago have been arrested in a roundup early today by members of area law enforcement headed by the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force. Four other people are being sought.
Members of the Schuele Boys Gang allegedly sold cocaine by the kilo and shot at their enemies, sometimes killing them in drive-by shootings on city streets, law enforcement officials said.
“We won’t tolerate the violence of these narcotics traffickers,” said U.S. Attorney William J. Hocul Jr., adding that federal, state and local law enforcement officers are “more than willing to take on the gangs.”
The gang operated over several blocks, bounded by Carl and Schuele streets and East Delavan Avenue to Genesee Street. But, according to FBI Special Agent in Charge Brian Boetig, the cocaine they sold was distributed throughout the city and into the suburbs and beyond.
In what was the worst mass shooting in recent history, four people were killed and four others were wounded at about 2:30 a.m. Aug. 14, 2010, outside the former City Grill on Main Street in downtown Buffalo. The shooting had followed a fist fight between associates of the Schuele Boys Gang and the East Ferry Gang inside the bar at a privately sponsored party.
Riccardo M. “Murder Matt” McCray, a member of the East Ferry Gang, was convicted of the shootings and is serving life in prison without parole.
Authorities said they confiscated 10 guns and other contraband during today’s raids.
This latest action against the Schuele Boys Gang involved electronic surveillance with wire taps and was in response to increased violence in the city, authorities said. Schuele Street is between East Delavan Avenue and East Ferry Street on the East Side.
Also assisting in the roundup were members of the Buffalo Police Department, State Police, the Erie County Sheriff’s Office and numerous officers from other area police agencies.
