Gang Member Convicted of Drug Trafficking

A member of a violent Detroit street gang known as the Hustle Boys was found guilty yesterday on federal drug charges, announced United States Attorney Barbara L. McQuade. Ms. McQuade was joined in the announcement by Special Agent in Charge Robert D. Foley, III, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Detroit Division.
Jeron Gaskin, 21, of Detroit, Michigan, was convicted of three counts of drug trafficking following a jury trial before the Honorable Patrick J. Duggan in U.S. District Court in Detroit.
Evidence presented at trial showed that beginning in 2007 and continuing to March 2011, Gaskin, other members and associates of the Hustle Boys, and others engaged in drug trafficking by possessing marijuana for distribution and by illegally transporting thousands of OxyContin, Opana, and other prescription pain pills from Detroit to southern Ohio and West Virginia, where they sold pills out of hotel rooms and three residences they maintained to distribute drugs. At times, members of the conspiracy traded pills for firearms, which they brought back to Detroit. The evidence also showed that Gaskin and other members of the conspiracy used a house on Hamburg Street on the east side of Detroit to store controlled substances including marijuana and pills, to count and package pills for shipment to Ohio and West Virginia, and to store firearms and cash proceeds of drug trafficking.
Gaskin and nine other members of the conspiracy were indicted by a federal grand jury on November 30, 2011. Co-defendants Mark Davis, William Crews, Darrell Ewing, Deonte Morris, Delmerey Morris, Ashley Sallad, Pinkie Lewis, and Randi Fortner pled guilty prior to trial. Defendant William Beal is pending trial.
United States Attorney Barbara McQuade stated, “Street gangs that engage in armed drug trafficking lead to violence in our neighborhoods. Dismantling this group is an important step to improving public safety on Detroit’s east side.”
Special Agent in Charge D. Foley stated, “This drug trafficking conviction sends a strong message that these crimes will not be tolerated in our communities. As a result of the hard work and commitment by the FBI Violent Crime Task Force and our law enforcement partners our streets are safer.”
The cooperative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Violent Crime Task Force and the Ohio State Highway Patrol were recognized and applauded by U.S. Attorney McQuade. Assistant United States Attorneys Mark Chasteen and Margaret Smith of the office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit and General Crimes Unit represented the United States at trial. Assistant United States Attorney Jeanine Brunson assisted throughout the FBI’s lengthy investigation.