Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- A federal judge has sentenced a former leader of the Latin Kings street gang to more than 18 years in prison for trafficking in crack cocaine and gun charges, says the U.S. Attorney's office.

Karim Abdullah, 33, pleaded guilty in March 2008 to the drug offense and to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

In June 2007, Rhode Island State Police and Providence detectives found four handguns and crack cocaine in Abdullah's city apartment. He had been released from federal prison about a year before, having served 115 months for offenses committed while he was "chief enforcer" of the Latin Kings street gang in Rhode Island, says the U.S. Attorney's office.

Last week U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith sentenced Abdullah to another 224 months on the new charges.

In 1996 Abdullah pleaded guilty to racketeering, assaulting a suspected informant at the Rhode Island ACI, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was one of more than a dozen Latin Kings who were defendants in Rhode Island's first ever federal racketeering prosecution of members of a street gang. Five of those defendants are serving life sentences for gang-related homicides and other offenses.

Read a special report: The Gangs of Providence

 Tags  crime Rhode Island

Comments

drew said:

its not cool how the judge did that give hime 18 more years i mean thats how it is thats how we make a living i got a job hes not my og im a duble og its not hard tho but i just dont see why its to bad for him lks all the way.

Link | October 14, 2009 10:34 AM
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