28 Alleged Members of Valentine Avenue Crew Indicted in Bronx for Decades-Long Criminal Activities

In a sweeping takedown that signals a turning point for the Bronx, twenty-eight individuals have been indicted for their roles in what prosecutors describe as over three decades of criminal activity orchestrated by the Valentine Avenue Crew. In a detailed indictment unsealed by the Southern District of New York, members of the gang are accused of maintaining a violent stranglehold on a neighborhood, pushing narcotics and extorting locals.

The indictment, as reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, lays out a formidable range of charges. Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky indicated that this is a case of a street crew imposing an "open-air drug market," a daily operation that has to now come to an end. Members were arrested on charges including racketeering, drug distribution, and violent crimes that encompassed shootings and even murder. In naming the defendants, Podolsky stated, “It is a brutal reality that has lasted for far too long.  It ends now.  The streets of this great city belong to its people, and the career prosecutors of this Office will not stop until our streets are returned to the law-abiding people of New York City and their families.”

Key figures in the crew, such as Edwin Carrasquillo, aka “Malo,” and others were implicated in the June 2020 poisoning and murder of Jozei Hullex, a member of their own organization. Additionally, several shootings are ascribed to the group’s need to heartily defend its turf and control over the lucrative drug market on Valentine Avenue.

According to DEA's Frank A. Tarentino, this indictment is a testament to the commitment of law enforcement agencies to root out and dismantle criminal enterprises that menace our neighborhoods with drugs and violence. He emphasized the DEA's unwavering commitment to ensuring the health and safety of the citizens and communities. The scope of the operation conducted by the Trident Task Force highlights the extensive collaborative efforts undertaken by the DEA, FBI, NYPD, and other partners to dismantle such a long-standing operation, as detailed by the U.S. Attorney's Office.

In response to the unsealing of the indictment, NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch praised the actions that led to the charges. “The Valentine Avenue Crew created immense fear within their community for decades, fueling our streets with senseless gun violence, polluting our sidewalks with deadly poisons, and costing lives through their ruthless gang behavior. These indictments send a clear message: this era of lawlessness ends today. The NYPD remains steadfast in its mission to remove illegal firearms from the hands of criminals—having already seized over 1,000 firearms this year alone—and to dismantle the illicit drug trade they are so often associated with. I commend the relentless NYPD investigators and our law enforcement partners in the FBI, DEA, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York for their unwavering commitment to placing members of organized networks such as these behind bars,” Tisch stated, as obtained by the U.S. Attorney's Office.

As is typical in the U.S. justice system, despite the severity of the accusations, all defendants are to be presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.