| CADMAN PLAZA EAST -- They bound their victims with duct tape, beat them and held guns to their heads. When that didn't work, the bandits applied pliers to their genitals and pressed hot irons to the soles of their feet. Sometimes they held victims' heads under water in a bathtub. Prosecutors say the torture was inflicted by a brazen New York gang that impersonated police officers and preyed on rival drug dealers along the East Coast, stealing their money and cocaine. The crime spree netted more than 1,650 pounds of cocaine worth $20 million and $4 million in cash. At least 100 people were injured. The gang "was breathtaking in the scope of its crimes and in the danger it posed to our communities," said Benton Campbell, the U.S. Attorney in Brooklyn, when he announced charges against Franklin Acosta de Vargas and others earlier this year. |
From Shane - 24 Jul 2008 @ 01:02 pm
