Federal Indictments Charge 21 Rollin’ 30s Crips Gang Members and Associates with Narcotics Distribution and Firearms Offenses
LOS ANGELES – Ten members and associates of the South Los Angeles-based Rollin’ 30s Harlem Crips street gang were arrested today pursuant to six federal grand jury indictments that charge a total of 21 defendants with conspiring to traffic narcotics, such as crack cocaine that allegedly was sold at a minimart and in front of a public library.
The defendants arrested today are expected to be arraigned this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
The main indictment stemming from the investigation into the Rollin’ 30s charges 14 gang members and associates with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute crack cocaine in the territories they claim to control. Specifically, this indictment alleges that the lead defendant – gang leader Angelo Gabriel Reed, 39, a.k.a., “Maniac” and “Yacc,” of Inglewood – “cooked” crack cocaine in his kitchen and then sold it through a variety of methods. Reed allegedly distributed the drug outside a Los Angeles Public Library branch in Exposition Park and in a nearby park, the indictment alleges.
Between May 2017 and April 2018, Reed allegedly oversaw a crew that sold drugs on the street, delivered drugs to other distributors and customers, and collected illicit narcotics proceeds on Reed’s behalf. During the course of the conspiracy, Reed allegedly was involved in supplying, cooking and distributing more than 280 grams of crack cocaine.
One of the other indictments alleges that Rollin’ 30s members last year sold cocaine at an Exposition Park minimart that appeared closed, but was widely known as gang hangout where illegal narcotics were sold. After law enforcement performed two undercover buying operations at the minimart, a search warrant resulted in the seizure of a .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol, dozens of rounds of live ammunition, drug paraphernalia, and baggies of cocaine, according to the indictment.
In addition to the 10 defendants arrested today, one defendant currently is incarcerated in a California state prison, while another is in Los Angeles County jail on unrelated charges. Authorities continue to search for nine defendants named in the indictments.
If convicted on all counts, the defendants would face decades in federal prison, with some of them facing a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute more than 280 grams of crack cocaine.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and the Los Angeles Police Department as part of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Damaris Diaz of the Violent and Organized Crime Section.
