Queens activists are demanding the FBI examine the “overseas nationwide” crime syndicates turning seedy Roosevelt Avenue right into a “gangland” — claiming the criminals pose a nationwide safety menace.
“We request that you simply provoke an investigation into what we perceive are gangs participating in felony enterprises together with human trafficking, unlawful narcotics gross sales and the mass distribution of fraudulent paperwork which poses a nationwide safety menace,” wrote Rosa Sanchez, head of the Restore Roosevelt Avenue Coalition, and Democratic district chief Hiram Monserrate in an Aug. 14 letter to FBI Director Kash Patel.
Federal intervention is required as a result of state and native legal guidelines are restricted and insufficient to deal with the issue, the activists stated.
Of their missive, Sanchez and Monserrate thanked the FBI and different companies within the Trump administration for prosecuting members of migrant gangs — together with the Venezuelan-based Tren de Aragua and the 18th Road gang, which repeatedly extort brothels, beat rivals and promote medication and phony IDs to finance a bootleg community based mostly in El Salvador.
“Nonetheless, each gangs proceed to function in our neighborhood and we impress upon you that extra must be executed to maintain our neighborhood protected,” they instructed the FBI director.
They famous that the NYPD has made greater than 500 prostitution-related arrests to date this yr alongside what is named “The Market of Sweethearts,” however brothels proceed to function.
Lots of them are managed by Chinese language gangs, Sanchez and Monserrate stated.
“In line with our sources a number of places are being operated and managed by Chinese language organized crime. … The data we now have continued gathering is unsettling,” the Corona-Elmhurst neighborhood leaders stated.
Monserrate stated the Triads are one of many Chinese language teams concerned in sex-trafficking.
The 18th Road Gang members are nonetheless promoting fraudulent inexperienced playing cards, Social Safety and driver’s licenses on Roosevelt Avenue between eightieth and 84th Streets, too, the letter writers stated.
“Organized crime by each Latino and Chinese language overseas nationals continues to wreak havoc in our neighborhood,” Sanchez and Monserrate stated. “We urge your company to reply and rid our neighborhood of contemporary slavery and a harmful felony ingredient that operates flagrantly.”
They forwarded suspected addresses of brothels to the FBI.
Up to now yr, The Publish has uncovered the seediness, crime, drug-peddling and unlawful merchandising alongside the Roosevelt Avenue hall. Gov. Kathy Hochul final yr even dispatched state troopers to help the NYPD to crack down the lawlessness.
