Bronx Gang Members Busted For Selling Heroin, Killing Man: Feds

THE BRONX, NY — Twenty people tied to a violent Bronx street gang will face charges for selling drugs, committing shootings and killing a man to maintain their territory, federal authorities said Wednesday. The MacBallas gang members and associates allegedly sold heroin, crack cocaine and marijuana and committed the 2011 murder of Daniel Delgado to support their operation around two public housing complexes in the South Bronx, Manhattan federal prosecutors said.

"As alleged in the Indictment, the defendants brought violence, fear, and drugs to the streets of New York," U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said in a statement. "The people of this city will not stand for it, and neither will we."

Twelve of the 20 members — who have nicknames such as "Tosh," "Chips" and "Dollaz" — were arrested Wednesday, while six others were in federal or state custody, prosecutors said. Fourteen of them are expected to be arraigned before a federal judge Wednesday.

The MacBallas were based in and around the adjacent Andrew Jackson and Melrose housing complexes, prosecutors said. They allegedly sold drugs and committed various acts of violence, including robberies and shootings, to fund their operation and protect their territory, according to prosecutors.

Two of the members, Deandre "D Nice" Morrison and Nathaniel Fludd, are accused of killing Delgado in August 2011 to "maintain and increase their status" in the gang, prosecutors said.

Rather than try to keep them quiet, the members promoted their gang ties on social media such as Facebook, prosecutors said.

The members face charges including murder in the aid of racketeering, narcotics conspiracy and firearms offenses, some of which come with a maximum sentence of death or life in prison.

The NYPD and the Drug Enforcement Administration played roles the gang takedown, which was announced a week after the brutal gang-related murder of 15-year-old Lesandro Guzman-Feliz.

"Gang and crew activity, particularly in the Bronx as we’ve seen of late, is responsible for much of the violence in our city. This behavior will never be tolerated by New Yorkers," NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill said in a statement.

(Lead image: Photo from Shutterstock / UV70)