Eleven Members of a Crack Cocaine and Heroin Distribution Organization Indicted

Defendants Charged with Narcotics Trafficking and Firearms Offenses

January 28, 2010 - An indictment was unsealed this morning in federal court in Brooklyn charging 11 members of a Brooklyn-based crack cocaine and heroin distribution organization with narcotics trafficking and firearms offenses.1 Each of the defendants is associated with the “Clifton Place Crew,” a drug distribution organization that dominated the drug trade in the Louis Armstrong Housing Development in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn. The defendants arrested today will be arraigned later this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Robert M. Levy at the U. S. Courthouse, 225 Cadman Plaza East, Brooklyn, New York.

The indictments and arrests were announced by Benton J. Campbell, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Joseph M. Demarest, Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office; and Raymond W. Kelly, Commissioner, New York City Police Department.

The defendants are charged with conspiring to distribute crack cocaine and heroin, and with using and carrying firearms in furtherance of their drug trafficking conspiracy. In a detention letter filed today, the government described the two-year joint investigation that culminated in today’s arrests. During the course of the investigation, the FBI and NYPD made over 70 undercover purchases of narcotics and firearms from members of the organization. In addition, during the course of the investigation and in conjunction with today’s arrests, eight search warrants were executed at various residences in Brooklyn and have resulted in the seizure of eight firearms, ammunition, a machete, a police radio scanner, approximately $15,000 in cash, and quantities of heroin and crack cocaine.

“Today’s arrests of armed narcotics traffickers have disrupted a prolific drug trafficking crew that affected an entire neighborhood,” stated United States Attorney Campbell. “We are committed to ensuring that all residents of our district are free from the dangers associated with narcotics trafficking. Through the close cooperation of federal and local law enforcement, 11 members of a dangerous organization will now be held to account for the crimes charged in the indictment.”

FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Demarest stated, “In addition to the important accomplishment of making a neighborhood safer, this investigation underscores what we have known for years. The illegal sale and possession of guns invariably go hand-in-hand with narcotics trafficking. The FBI remains committed to improving public safety by eradicating drugs and guns from public housing.”

If convicted, the defendants face maximum sentences of life imprisonment.

The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Daniel Silver and Seth DuCharme.

The Defendants:

DAMIEN BANNISTER, also known as “Slick”
Age: 25

DARRELL BANNISTER, also known as “Black,” “Mo,” and “Rob”
Age: 30

CHRISTOPHER HALL, also known as “C-Rock”
Age: 23

CYRIL MCCRAY, also known as “Zero”
Age: 45

ERIC MORRIS, also known as “Al”
Age: 39

ROGER PATRICK, also known as “Pat”
Age: 21

JAMES ROSS, also known as “LA” and “Slim”
Age: 48

DERRICK TATUM, also known as “D-Rock”
Age: 29

INDIO TATUM, also known as “Ice”
Age: 23

JAWARA TATUM, also known as “L-Rock”
Age: 21

PEDRO TORRES, also known as “White Bread”
Age: 22

The charges contained in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.