It was like the Wild West: rival gangs shooting up Suffolk County in broad daylight. An assault at the Smith Haven Mall sent panicked shoppers fleeing after a pistol skidded across the food court—only to be kicked away by an alert bystander. A hail of bullets struck a moving vehicle, which careened into the Robo car wash in Patchogue and flipped over. A gang boss allegedly ordered a $10,000 hit from prison, and the teenage shooter later posted about his payday on social media.
This week, it all came to a dramatic end. District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney stood before a table stacked with confiscated firearms—including a pistol fitted with a drum magazine capable of holding dozens of rounds—and announced a sweeping takedown of two violent rival street gangs.
A grand jury returned a 168-count indictment charging 22 members and associates of the Mak Balla Family—a subset of the Bloods street gang—with 17 shootings, three armed robberies, possession of 22 illegal firearms, and more than 40 narcotics sales spanning from 2021 through 2025. Tierney’s office also unsealed a 23-count indictment against six members of the 9-Trey Bloods gang, who allegedly conspired to carry out a for-hire shooting at the direction of Joseph Baker, a gang leader who issued the order while incarcerated in a New York State prison.
“These comprehensive investigations and consequential indictments are exactly what I promised the people of Suffolk County when I formed the Violent Criminal Enterprises Bureau in 2022,” Tierney said. “We will work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to ensure that any violent organization operating here in Suffolk County will be taken down.”
According to prosecutors, the Mak Balla Family and its affiliated subsets—“4Eva Rich” and “Real Ni**az Only”—operated under a strict code of violence, peddling narcotics and using proceeds to fund their hierarchy and bolster their status through displays of luxury on social media. Their crimes included coordinated armed robberies, drug trafficking, and shootings carried out in a bid to control local turf. Their lawbreaking terrorized the South Shore communities of Bellport, Coram, Mastic-Shirley, and beyond.
Meanwhile, members of 9-Trey allegedly carried out a targeted shooting in November after Baker offered $10,000 to have a rival shot in the legs. The indictment alleges his orders were relayed through a chain of co-conspirators—including his niece—leading to multiple shootings, gun recoveries, and arrests over a two-week span. One of the recovered firearms included a high-capacity magazine and a laser sight, according to law enforcement.
The sprawling investigations involved over 100 search warrants, surveillance video, wiretaps, and digital forensics, ultimately piecing together what Tierney described as a “multi-year criminal enterprise” that endangered residents and turned Suffolk communities into battlegrounds.
All 28 defendants face serious charges. Several are remanded without bail and, if convicted on the top counts, could face up to 25 years to life in prison. “We are committed to dismantling these violent criminal networks and restoring peace to our communities,” said Suffolk Sheriff Errol Toulon, Jr., whose office participated in the takedown.
The cases are being prosecuted by the District Attorney’s Violent Criminal Enterprises Bureau with assistance from multiple police departments, including the Suffolk County PD, Riverhead Town Police, U.S. Marshals, and the State Department of Corrections.
“Let this be a warning to anyone who thinks gang violence will be tolerated here,” Tierney stated. “You will be found. You will be indicted. And you will be removed from our streets.”
The District Attorney appealed to Gov. Kathy Hochul and legislative leaders to tighten the state’s lax criminal justice laws, noting that Baker was given early release when the governor ordered the emptying of New York prisons. Up for reelection this year, Tierney also criticized the Democrat “Raise the Age” bill that removed responsibility for crimes by those under 18, a law the gangs took advantage of by sending minors to commit shootings and other crimes.
Joining Tierney in announcing the arrests was Suffolk Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina, who noted: “This allows us to focus on other things because we don’t have to chase these idiots around.”
“The toughest gang around is the one that wears a badge,” said former Suffolk Sheriff Vincent DeMarco, now the U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District. “We play by the rules, and we always win.”