Drug dealers from 4 gangs busted in Wyandanch, police say

Drug dealers from four gangs were arrested this week in Wyandanch after street-side sales of cocaine and marijuana to undercover officers over several months, Suffolk police said Wednesday.

Eight men were arrested Tuesday or Wednesday, while a ninth man, currently in state prison in an unrelated case, will be charged later on two sales of crack cocaine, police said.

Each gang — the Bloods, Crips, NIC and Braveheart — had long ago carved out pieces of Wyandanch as their drug-selling turf, and the suspects were known to hang out along Straight Path, waiting for buyers, said Det. Sgt. David Teufel of the narcotics squad.

They operated during store business hours, hanging out on the street, he said.

“When the stores are open . . . they kind of blend in,” said Teufel, who worked for years in the First Precinct. “It’s, ‘Hey, I’m just here at the store, buying a drink or whatever.’ When the stores are closed, they really don’t have an excuse.”

The gangs had “counter-surveillance” accomplices who scoped out any unfamiliar vehicles and people in the area to make sure they weren’t selling to cops, Teufel said. They’d have the drugs on them or hidden nearby, such as behind a loose brick in a house, he said.

Malik McClinton, 26, West Babylon, was charged with four counts of third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, a felony, while Moses McQueen, 26, of Mastic Beach, was charged with three counts. Isaac Brown, 33, and Dasean Player, 26, both of Wyandanch, each face two counts of the same charge. Maurice Petro, 33, Wyandanch, was charged with one count.

Chester Sonds, 22, of Wyandanch, was charged with second-degree attempted criminal sale of controlled substance, a felony.

Andre Boyd, 33, of West Babylon, was charged with second-degree criminal sale of marijuana, a felony.

Wendell Monroe, 31, of Brentwood, was charged with fifth-degree criminal sale of marijuana, a misdemeanor. He was released after posting bail.

The ninth man, the state prisoner, was not named.

Arraignment details and names of defense attorneys were not immediately available Wednesday night.