Nine Defendants Charged for Roles in Drug Trafficking Organization Controlled by Sex, Money, Murder Street Gang

NEWARK, N.J. - Nine people have been charged for their respective roles in a drug trafficking organization that distributed large quantities of fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine in Essex County, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger announced.

Calvin Swinton, aka "40," 32; Lance Yarbough, aka "L-Boog," 42; Jahad Gorsuch, aka "Hadi Mu," 47; Coyette Elliott, aka "Q," 56; Derrick Davidson, aka "Lefty," 55; Rashem Batts, aka "Dae Dae," 48; Kiion Scovil, aka "Skrapp," 35; Tishawn Scovil, aka "Ty," 33; and Amanda Brown, aka "Manda," 32, all of Essex County, New Jersey, were charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine. All defendants are in custody. Seven defendants are scheduled to make initial court appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cathy L. Waldor in Newark federal court; Elliott and Scovil are in state custody and will make their initial appearances at a later date.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

The defendants are members of a drug trafficking organization that operated an open-air narcotics market in the areas of West End and 18th avenues and Alexander Street in Newark. The West End and Alexander drug trafficking organization is affiliated with, and the defendants are members and associates of, the Sex, Money, Murder set of the Bloods street gang. For several months, law enforcement conducted extensive surveillance of the area, conducted numerous controlled purchases of narcotics, seized narcotics through enforcement action, and analyzed telephone records, all of which demonstrated extensive interactions between and among the charged defendants. The investigation has revealed that the organization distributed in excess of 400 grams of fentanyl.

The defendants face a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, maximum potential penalty of life in prison, and a $10 million fine.

U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI under the supervision of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark, with the investigation leading to the charges. He also thanked detectives of the Essex County Prosecutor's Office, under the direction of Theodore N. Stephens II; special agents of Homeland Security Investigations in Newark under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge William S. Walker; officers of the Essex County Sheriff's Office, under the direction of Sheriff Armando B. Fontoura; police officers and detectives of the Irvington Police Department, under the direction of Director Tracy Bowers; police officers and detectives of the Newark Police Department, under the direction of Public Safety Director Fritz G. Fragé; police officers and detectives of the East Orange Police Department, under the direction of Chief William C. Robinson; officers of the New Jersey State Department of Corrections; and detectives of the New Jersey State Police, under the direction of Colonel Patrick J. Callahan, for their assistance with the investigation.

The investigation was conducted as part of the Newark Violent Crime Initiative (VCI). The Newark VCI was formed in August 2017 by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office, and the City of Newark's Department of Public Safety for the sole purpose of combatting violent crime in and around Newark. As part of this partnership, federal, state, county, and city agencies collaborate and pool resources to prosecute violent offenders who endanger the safety of the community. The VCI is composed of the U.S. Attorney's Office, the FBI, the ATF, the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) New Jersey Division, Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Marshals, the Newark Department of Public Safety, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office, the Essex County Sheriff's Office, New Jersey State Parole, Union County Jail, New Jersey State Police Regional Operations and Intelligence Center/Real Time Crime Center, New Jersey Department of Corrections, the East Orange Police Department, and the Irvington Police Department.

The government is represented by Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force Unit Chief Samantha C. Fasanello and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Goldberg of the Criminal Division in Newark.

The charges and allegations contained in the complaints are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.