For years, this group has engaged in high-level drug trafficking involving cocaine, heroine and fentanyl, among other substances. Of the 40 alleged gang members named in the indictment, 38 are in custody two remain on the loose, including one alleged killer.Īccording to the indictment, the Vice Lords group is a national gang that was founded in Chicago in the 1960s. "This team is putting every trigger-puller in the city of Detroit on notice," Deir said. That's part of how the gang operates, they explained: levels of protection are offered for the higher-ranking players so they are shielded from law enforcement.ĭeir warned that as summer approaches and gun violence likely increases, Detroit police and federal law enforcement agencies will be working together to identify and disrupt groups that engage in gun violence. "This investigation is the first of several to follow in the coming months."Īmong those indicted is alleged Michigan gang leader Kevin "Spaghetti" Fordham of Detroit, who authorities said has no prior felony convictions. "We are committed to supplying resources to this city so that people don’t have to worry about a stray bullet hitting them," said Deir, warning more arrests are in the pipeline. "This group of individuals - they’re no strangers to law enforcement. Collectively, they have been involved in 365 separate felony arrests," Deir said of the 40 alleged gang members.Īccording to Deir, nonfatal shootings are up 87% in Detroit over the last two years homicides are up 47% from 2019 when violent crime had reached record lows. That is why we are here today," said Deir, who cited the gang member arrests as proof that federal law enforcement is crucial in Detroit. "Homicides and are up 47.7% - that is significant. with defunding the police," Deir said, stressing that violent crime is alarmingly high in Detroit again, and that the city needs the feds and local police working together. "This group is notoriously violent," Detroit's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) chief James Deir said at a Thursday news conference, which he used to address a touchy subject for law enforcement: the defund-the-police movement. Saying Detroit's violent crime is out of control again, the federal government on Thursday announced the indictment of 40 alleged gang members wanted for everything from robbery and ordering hits on prisoners to unlawful gun possession and murder.Īccording to the 120-page indictment, the defendants belong to the Almighty Vice Lord Nation gang, which authorities say has been funneling drugs across the country for decades while instilling fear in anyone who tries to stop them.
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