They stretch from Halifax County to Northampton County and their music videos are readily accessible on YouTube.
They are the gangs of the Roanoke Valley and law enforcement is getting ready to fight them.
“We are determined to combat the threat of gangs in Halifax County,” Sheriff Wes Tripp said Thursday night at a meeting addressing the matter.
“Gangs have their own means of communication to avoid prosecution,” he said. “Whether they are writing a letter or speaking, they can discuss drugs without using a single word that the rest of us would not recognize. They are violent and organized.”
Known gangs in Halifax County include sets of the Crips; 1650 in South Weldon, a designation of State Road 1650; GMF, which is prevalent in both Weldon and Garysburg; G-50 out of Seaboard; Fastlane out of Weldon and Garysburg; Piru, an original Blood set out of Lincoln Heights; 400 Boys in Weldon, the name a designation of the bus they ride; The Fam in Enfield; Pinks in Weldon and Garysburg; SMM, which stands for Sex Money Murder, which is countywide.
Tripp said the time has come in Halifax County for a designated gang officer. “I want a designated gang officer to facilitate with the United States Attorney's office and state court prosecutors to implement programs that may discourage gang recruitment in Halifax County.”
He also called for a countywide gang task force that will have representation from every law enforcement agency in the county, as well as bordering counties, state agencies and federal authorities. “This can be done and we have competent officers to do it well. I also will establish a gang hotline where information can be obtained processed by a task force.”
In his opening remarks the sheriff said, “Since 2008, we have determined that nearly 80 percent of our homicides are related to drugs. In most of these cases, we have seen associations with gangs.”
While not saying which ones specifically, Tripp said, “I have mentioned gangs have been involved in homicides, but I assure you that they are involved in the distribution of drugs, robberies and other assaults. One of the most contemporary crimes involves these gangs robbing and killing each other. We have experienced direct retaliation between gangs.”
Law enforcement attending the meeting said they were behind Tripp's task force initiative.
HOD graffiti in Northampton County.
“We have gangs,” said Captain Chuck Hasty of the Northampton County Sheriff's Office. “It's usually east side, west side.”
The gangs in Northampton spill over into Halifax County, such as GMF out of Garysburg and G 50s out of Seaboard. HOD — homicide or death — represents Rich Square.
Hasty said a July 4 murder in Garysburg is possibly gang-related.
Roanoke Rapids Police Chief Andy Jackson said there are a number of gangs in the city, that include Crips and Bloods, motorcycle gangs representing the Hell's Angels and Mongols, as well as the Aryan Brotherhood.
The GMF gang is also prevalent in Roanoke Rapids as well as the 400 Boys and several gang sets in the Highway 48 area.
