Overview

• Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney announced two indictments charging 28 alleged members of the Mak Balla Family and 9-Trey Bloods gangs with 191 combined criminal counts.
• The Mak Balla Family indictment includes 168 counts for 17 shootings, three armed robberies, 22 illegal firearms, and over 40 narcotics sales between 2021 and 2025.
• The 9-Trey Bloods indictment charges six alleged members, including inmate Joseph Baker, with orchestrating a shooting-for-hire plot and other violent crimes in late 2024.
• Prosecutors linked Baker to the plot using recorded prison phone calls and digital evidence; he was rearrested in April 2025 after an early release from prison.
• DA Tierney criticized Governor Kathy Hochul’s early-release policies, arguing they hinder law enforcement's ability to ensure public safety and disrupt investigations.