D-Block Boys
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The D-Block Boys, also known as DBG, was an
African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
drug ring operating in
Algiers, New Orleans Algiers is a historic neighborhood of New Orleans and is the only Orleans Parish community located on the West Bank of the Mississippi River. Algiers is known as the 15th Ward, one of the 17 Wards of New Orleans. It was once home to many jazz mu ...
,
Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
. The gang has been involved in criminal activity including drug trafficking and murder. According to
NOPD The New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) has primary responsibility for law enforcement in New Orleans, Louisiana. The department's jurisdiction covers all of Orleans Parish, while the city is divided into eight police districts. The NOPD has a ...
, The "D-Block Gang" has a history of violations, along with involvement in violent crimes. This gang is not to be confused with the Dumaine Street Gang operating out of the
6th Ward of New Orleans The 6th Ward or Sixth Ward is one of the seventeen Wards of New Orleans, located in the Downtown section of the city of New Orleans, Louisiana. Boundaries The 6th Ward is a long narrow ward stretching back from the Mississippi River. The boundary ...
, which is also called D'Block.


Overview

The gang formed in the
Algiers Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques ...
neighborhood by teenagers who lived in the DeGaulle Manor Public Housing Complex, and the
Fischer Projects The William J. Fischer Housing Development, better known as the Fischer Projects, was a housing project in Algiers, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. It was known notoriously for a series of high-profile murders in the 1970s and 1980s. It was ...
. The name derived from the apartments which were nicknamed "D-Block." The D-Block clique have been tied to several homicides, most of which were between 2005 and 2007. NOPD's Fourth District police have been tracking the gang since the mid-2000s as they distributed
heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a potent opioid mainly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. Medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Various white and brow ...
and
cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...
out of abandoned units in the DeGaulle Manor apartments, the base of their operation. Investigators stated the D-Block gang had access to high-powered assault rifles, which they used in deadly conflicts with rival drug organizations. NOPD linked the gang to nine homicides in the
Algiers Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques ...
area and five in
Jefferson Parish Jefferson may refer to: Names * Jefferson (surname) * Jefferson (given name) People * Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), third president of the United States * Jefferson (footballer, born 1970), full name Jefferson Tomaz de Souza, Brazilian foot ...
from 2004 to 2006. In 2011 the
Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...
listed the gang as a threat. In 2017, three members were arrested on Westpark Court in a raid for possession of a firearm while in possession of illegal narcotics, possession of a stolen firearm and possession with the intent to distribute heroin and
marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...
, as well as a felon being in possession of a firearm. During the search, detectives confiscated multiple firearms, 31 individually wrapped clear bags of a white powder substance later determined to be heroin, 36 individually wrapped clear bags of marijuana, cash and other items.


2006 investigation

The events leading up to the investigation began in the summer of 2005. NOPD linked the gruesome slaying of two Avondale cousins to the D-Block gang. The decomposed bodies were discovered on May 8 in
DeGaulle Manor DeGaulle Manor was a federally subsidized public housing project in the Algiers neighborhood of New Orleans. The complex had a high crime rate and was one of the oldest and most troubled apartments in the city before being shut down in 2012. It l ...
, inside the trunk of a car. Both men were tied up with gunshot wounds to the head. Homicide detectives did not have enough physical evidence to charge them. In July, three members; Jamal Brooks, Hyran Brooks and Nicholas Wix were charged with first-degree murder for another double homicide, which took place on June 27. The slayings in June were that of a man and woman. According to authorities, the two were killed inside their home in the 1600 block of Murl Street after it was sprayed with more than 20 bullets; they were not the intended targets for the attack. * March 2006, police arrested members Jerome Gray and Cornell Williams in DeGaulle Manor for allegedly shooting assault rifles in the courtyard. The weapons would be traced to the April 26 shooting in the 2300 block of Murl Street. * April of 2006, NOPD Fourth District linked Bryan Thomas as the fourth suspect to the June 27th double homicide. * July 2006, NOPD arrested five D-Block members in the
Fischer Projects The William J. Fischer Housing Development, better known as the Fischer Projects, was a housing project in Algiers, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. It was known notoriously for a series of high-profile murders in the 1970s and 1980s. It was ...
. Anthony "Nut" Thomas who was suspected of the April 26 shooting, had an active warrant out. SWAT team raided the complex and found the group in the courtyard. One of them was in possession of an
SKS rifle The SKS (russian: Самозарядный карабин системы Симонова, Samozaryadny Karabin sistemy Simonova, 1945, self-loading carbine of (the) Simonov system, 1945) is a semi-automatic rifle designed by Soviet small arms ...
. All five men were arrested. Thomas, who had a pending warrant, was booked with two counts of illegally carrying a weapon, possession of an obliterated serial number, drug possession and resisting an officer.


See also

*
List of New Orleans gangs Before Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans gangs tended to be small violent local groups divided among its 17 voting districts known as "wards". NOPD classified these groups as drug organizations or "cliques," with about 10-15 members. The most infamou ...


References

{{Organized crime groups in the United States 2000s establishments in Louisiana African-American gangs Gangs in New Orleans Organizations established in the 2000s Organized crime in Louisiana