Eighteen members and associates of Selma street gang charged in Mobile federal court with narcotics and firearms offenses
MOBILE, Ala. – A twenty-three count indictment charging 18 members and associates of a Selma-based street gang known as the “MLK Gang” with narcotics conspiracy and firearms offenses was unsealed yesterday, announced Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Stephen G. Azzam and United States Attorney Richard W. Moore of the Southern District of Alabama.
A total of seven defendants were taken into custody this week; seven other defendants were already in Alabama state custody. Six of the 18 defendants were presented and arraigned before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. One defendant was arrested in northern Alabama and was presented and arraigned before a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Northern District of Alabama.
“The damage caused by drugs and violence affects everyone across the nation, including towns like Selma, Alabama. Our neighborhoods deserve to exist without fear and intimidation inflicted by violent drug gangs," said DEA Special Agent in Charge Stephen G. Azzam. "The arrests of these individuals should be a warning to others who prey on the weak and defenseless through their drug trafficking and violent acts. We will continue to work with all of our law enforcement partners, to relentlessly pursue these violent criminals and drug traffickers plaguing our communities.”
“The city of Selma has been plagued too long with a high level of violent crime that we are determined to stop," U.S. Attorney Richard Moore said. "This indictment is only one part of the strategy of federal, state and local law enforcement to take back the streets of Selma. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to increase our presence in Selma and we are asking the residents of Selma to join us in making their streets safe again.”
The MLK gang, comprised of “DTE” gang members and “Crips” affiliated individuals, concentrated in the processing of cocaine into crack cocaine and its distribution in and around the Martin Luther King Street area of Selma, Alabama. To protected its crack distribution location, the MLK gang maintained a ready supply of firearms, including handguns, shotguns, and semi-automatic rifles. These weapons were often used by the MLK Gang against rival crack cocaine traffickers.
This case was investigated by the DEA, the Selma Police Department, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, and the Alabama Attorney General’s Office.
Parents and children are encouraged to educate themselves about the dangers of drugs by visiting DEA’s interactive websites at www.JustThinkTwice.com, www.GetSmartAboutDrugs.com and www.dea.gov.
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