Six Bloods Members and Associates Charged with Narcotics Trafficking on Long Island

Defendants Were Arrested in Joint Federal-State Law Enforcement Initiative

An 11-count superseding indictment was unsealed in federal court in Central Islip charging Rashaan Corbin, Miles Lamarca, Sharied Legette, Alex Murphy, Taieek Smith and Andre Turner – members or associates of the Bloods street gang – with multiple crimes for their participation in drug distribution in Babylon, New York, and surrounding neighborhoods.  Lamarca was arrested on August 15, 2019 and will be arraigned this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge A. Kathleen Tomlinson.  Legette and Turner were arrested last month and ordered detained.  Smith is in state custody and will be arraigned at a future date on the superseding indictment with Corbin and Murphy, who were charged in the original indictment in March 2019.

Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, William F. Sweeney, Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), Raymond Donovan, Special Agent-in-Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Timothy Sini, District Attorney, Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office (SCDA), and Geraldine Hart, Commissioner, Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD), announced the charges.

As alleged in court filings, between approximately March 2013 and April 2019, the defendants distributed heroin, fentanyl, fentanyl analogues, cocaine or crack cocaine in and around Babylon.  They often used firearms to protect their turf and narcotics from members of other street gangs.  During the course of the investigation, members of law enforcement seized more than $120,000 in cash, five semi-automatic handguns, drug paraphernalia and materials used to package narcotics for distribution.          

“Drugs, gangs and guns are a dangerous combination, putting our communities at grave risk,” stated United States Attorney Donoghue.  “This Office and our federal and state law enforcement partners will continue to work tirelessly to remove drug-dealing gang members from our streets.”

“Members and associates of street gangs go to great lengths to defend their respective territories, at times engaging in acts of violence to prevent others from invading the areas they control. When narcotics are involved, the stakes are even higher. The people of our communities deserve to live in a society that is free from violence. The FBI will continue to aggressively investigate these cases and work together with our partners in disrupting and dismantling this type of illegal activity,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Sweeney.

“Today’s arrest marks the end of a criminal organization alleged to have spread drugs, violence, and mayhem throughout Long Island communities,” stated DEA Special Agent- in-Charge Donovan.  “This investigation is one example of collaborative law enforcement efforts to make our cities safer by focusing on gang-related crime and violence.”

“Gang activity often goes hand-in-hand with illicit drug sales and the illegal possession of weapons, which are used as protection for narcotics operations like this one,” stated Suffolk County District Attorney Sini.  “Make no mistake: these defendants, who are members and associates of the violent Bloods street gang, were driving crime in a variety of ways in our communities, and these indictments put an end to that enterprise. We will continue to work collaboratively with our federal partners, including the cross-designation of prosecutors, so that we can effectively target and arrest impact players.”

“The success of our coordinated efforts with our law enforcement partners is evident in the takedown of these Bloods gang members and associates who ran a narcotics operation for six years,” stated SCPD Commissioner Hart. “We remain committed to arresting those who make a living off of selling illicit drugs and poisoning our communities. Interagency collaboration plays a significant role in creating the safest environment for our residents, and I would like to thank the Eastern District of New York for their unwavering commitment to ridding neighborhoods of narcotics.”

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

If convicted, Corbin, Legette, Murphy and Smith face a maximum of life imprisonment; Lamarca and Turner face up to 40 years in prison.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the its renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorneys’ Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Long Island Criminal Division.  Assistant United States Attorneys Christopher C. Caffarone, Mark E. Misorek and Special Assistant United States Attorney Melissa J. Turk are in charge of the prosecution.

New Defendants:

MILES LAMARCA (also known as “Shaq”)

Age: 21

Babylon, New York

SHARIED LEGETTE (also known as “Chalk” and “Rico”)

Age: 22

Wyandanch, New York

TAIEEK SMITH 

Age: 23

Wyandanch, New York

ANDRE TURNER (also known as “X”)

Age: 29

Wyandanch, New York

Previously Indicted Defendants:

RASHAAN CORBIN (also known as “Ra” and “Ra Money”)

Age: 23

Mastic, New York

ALEX MURPHY (also known as “Buddha” and “Tall Guy”)

Age: 33

West Babylon, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 19-CR-124 (DRH)