A Newark man was sentenced today to 60 months in prison for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy controlled by the New Jersey set of the Grape Street Crips, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Rakeem Hankerson, a/k/a “Rocco,” 25, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo to a superseding information charging him with conspiracy to distribute 28 grams or more of crack-cocaine. Judge Arleo imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
The New Jersey Grape Street Crips gang controlled drug trafficking and other criminal activities in various areas of Newark, including the neighborhood of 6th Avenue and North 5th Street. Hankerson was a member of the New Jersey Grape Street Crips who purchased distribution quantities of crack-cocaine from more senior gang members and sold it to retail level customers on the street.
To protect their gang and drug territory, the New Jersey Grape Street Crips operating in the 6th Avenue and North 5th Street location used “community guns” that were easily accessible to gang members. During the course of the investigation, law enforcement agents seized numerous firearms, including a .410 caliber assault rifle, a.45 caliber Thompson semi-automatic carbine, a 7.62 caliber assault rifle, and numerous semi-automatic handguns.
Another member of the conspiracy, Christopher Coelho, a/k/a “Brazil,”27, of Newark, was sentenced Sept. 13, 2016, to 10 years in prison and five years of supervised release.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Arleo sentenced Hankerson to four years of supervised release.