An associate of rapper French Montana is being held without bail in New Haven, Connecticut and is being accused of leading the Tre Bloods Gang after being arrested in the largest gang sweep in the state’s history.
The New Haven Independent reports that federal prosecutors have accused the Jameel “Biggs” Wilkes of being the leader of the Tre Bloods gang, which operates in the Dwight-Kensington neighborhood of New Haven.
Authorities accused Jameel “Biggs” Wilkes of running the Tre Bloods, in addition to another gang, The Klean Up Krew.
The Klean Up Krew dropped a video with French Montana in 2010 titled “Addicted To Money,” that authorities claim was recorded in an impoverished neighborhood Biggs and the Tre Bloods allegedly controlled.
Rapper Weily Don, 22, of New Haven, who is featured in the video with French Montana, was also arrested in the raid.
Last week, federal authorities charged Wilkes with conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine, possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of cocaine.
The arrest was part of “Operation Bloodline,” which was a joint law enforcement investigation headed by the DEA New Haven Task Force, to target narcotic trafficking and gang violence in the area.
Police seized five firearms, crack cocaine and heroin and $50,000 in cash, from over 100 people who were rounded up in the raid.
“It’s a music group!” one of Biggs’s sisters told The New Haven Independent. “It’s something he started to stop the violence, to get kids off the streets. There are CDs being sold – you can even find videos in YouTube!”
Wilkes is currently facing 10 years-to-life in jail and has pleaded not guilty to charges.