The alleged leader of a Baltimore area drug gang, along with a dozen of its members, have pleaded guilty to racketeering and various other charges.
Members of “Murdaland Mafia Piru,” including Dante Bailey, 37, (center) aka “Gutta,” or “Almighty.” (Photo: Twitter)
Takuma Tate, 39, of Baltimore pleaded guilty March 13, “to participating in a racketeering enterprise known as Murdaland Mafia Piru (MMP) and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances,” stated the office of Acting U.S. Attorney Stephen Schenning.
According to the U.S. Attorney, Tate, aka, “Oop” or “Ook,” was one of 26 alleged MMP members charged in the case, 13 have already pleaded guilty to their part in the racketeering conspiracy.
According to court documents, MMP is a subset of the Bloods gang, structured similarly to the Italian Mafia, which controlled large segments of the drug trade in Northwest Baltimore City and parts of Baltimore County.
“Members and associates of MMP operated street-level drug distribution “shops” in various locations in Baltimore City and distributed heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine, fentanyl, and marijuana, among other controlled substances,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s statement. “The gang’s drug shop in the 5200 block of Windsor Mill Road was particularly lucrative due to its close proximity to Interstate 70 and frequently attracted drug customers driving from Western Maryland and neighboring states.”
All but one (Dwight Jenkins, aka “Huggie” or “Unc,” age 48) of the dozens of defendants charged are in their 20’s or 30’s. According to court documents, alleged gang members engaged in organized criminal activity from at least 2011 to 2017.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, Tate will be sentenced to 10 years in prison, with five years of supervised release, pending the Court’s approval. U.S. District Court Judge Catherine C. Blake has scheduled sentencing for June 19, 2018, at 9:15 a.m.
