L. Shaheed Blake, also known as Sha Gotti, 41, was sentenced on Tuesday to 14 years in federal prison for leading a large-scale drug trafficking operation that distributed significant quantities of heroin and crack cocaine in Newark, New Jersey.
Blake was a member of the Bloods-affiliated gang “CKarter Boys,” named after the drug distribution building in the 1991 film New Jack City. He and co-conspirator Anderson Hutchinson, also known as Murda Rah, ran a highly organized drug market operating 24/7, flooding Newark’s streets with narcotics.
The organization operated out of two homes near the Newark-Irvington border, just blocks from Thurgood Marshall Elementary School. One of these locations generated an average of $10,000 per day from the sale of narcotics, with revenue peaking at $13,000 in a single shift.
Blake’s drug dens were heavily fortified, with access gained through a second-floor window. The organization sold drugs through a hole cut in the outer wall, similar to a drive-thru window.
This significant sentence underscores the serious impact of organized crime and the authorities’ continued efforts to dismantle drug trafficking networks.
