February 4, 2000
LEADER OF VIOLENT FAR ROCKAWAY DRUG GANG CONVICTED; CONTROLLED MILLION DOLLAR CRACK COCAINE TRADE IN EDGEMERE HOUSING COMPLEX
Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown announced today the conviction of Gregory 'Nef' Robinson, 29, of 41 Searing Street, Hempstead -- the leader of the "Regulators", a violent drug gang that controlled a million dollar a year crack cocaine operation in Far Rockaway's Edgemere Houses -- on charges of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the 3rd degree, criminal possession of a weapon in the 3rd degree, and assault in the third degree. The jury failed to reach a decision with regard to an enterprise corruption charge. He will be sentenced by Supreme Court Justice Richard L. Buchter on February 17th and faces up to 25 years in prison.
"A year ago this month," the District Attorney said, "we announced the indictment of the defendant Robinson and six of his associates on charges of being responsible for pervasive drug dealing in and around the Edgemere Houses. While Robinson chose to go to trial, his six associates plead guilty to enterprise corruption. Robinson will now join his fellow gang members in prison -- hopefully for a long time."
District Attorney Brown said, "The Edgemere Houses is one of New York City's largest public housing complexes. It was built in 1961 and consists of 1,395 apartments in 24 seven to nine story buildings. Over 3,700 people reside in the development which, in recent years has been plagued by drug trafficking and random violence. This conviction and our continued presence in the community has already contributed to a more peaceful Rockaway, and peace of mind for its residents. The arrest and indictment of the leader and members of this drug gang will reduce the level of violence in the area and bring a measure of relief to the law-abiding tenants of the development."
District Attorney Brown said that "the Regulators operated as an enterprise with a distinct structure that included the defendant Robinson as the head of the organization. It was their strategy to transact a large volume of sales -- sometimes as many as 200 each day -- of small amounts of crack cocaine in order to evade being caught by the police in possession of large amounts of drugs at any one time since that would expose them to possible life sentences under New York's drug laws. As a result of this strategy the gang would replenish their stock several times a day."
"The Regulators",the District Attorney continued, "had been in operation since the early 1990's. Using strict and violent discipline they successfully ruled the crack cocaine trade in the Edgemere Houses. Attempts by rival drug dealers to operate within their territory were met with brutality and gun fire, endangering residents and visitors alike. Collectively, it is estimated that the gang took in one million dollars each year selling crack cocaine. They had at their disposal a cache of weapons stored in a second floor apartment at 54-30 Beach Channel Drive which, together with a building across the courtyard 54-22 Beach Channel Drive, was the gang's principal base of operations. They stored drugs in apartments located in the buildings and conducted their 7 day a week, 24 hour a day business largely from the courtyard between the buildings. In order to send the message to would-be competitors that they were in control and also to amuse themselves, the defendants routinely fired weapons from the rooftop of 54-30 Beach Channel Drive."
"In addition", the District Attorney said, "the gang used brutal enforcement techniques to punish recalcitrant gang members. It was alleged, for example, that on June 11, 1998, inside a stairwell at 54-30 Beach Channel Drive, Robinson and three of the gangs street dealers brutally assaulted and beat a member of the gang who they believed had stolen money from them to teach him a lesson. On July 3, 1998, during the course of the investigation a search warrant was executed at an apartment controlled by the gang inside 54-30 beach Channel Drive where detectives seized a 12 gauge shotgun, a .9mm pistol, a .22 caliber pistol, a flare gun and 100 rounds of ammunition."
The investigation and arrests were carried out by investigators assigned to the Queens Narcotics Borough which is under the command of Inspector John H. Regan and Deputy Inspector Frederick E. Britton. The investigation was conducted by Det. Joseph Venturino under the supervision of Lt. John O'Mahoney and Captain Kevin Fitzgerald.
Assistant District Attorneys Wilbert J. Le Melle and Joel R. Meyers of the District Attorney's Narcotics Investigations Bureau, which is under the supervision of Bureau Chief Peter A. Crusco were the trial prosecutors.