On April 7, 2022, more than 20 alleged Bronx gang members were taken into custody and named in an 82-count indictment that involved 32 violent crimes committed over a three-year period.
The investigation, which is titled “Operation Drilly” has evidence of a series of killings, including the deaths of 20-year-old Delila Vasquez in 2021 and 24-year-old James Rivera in 2020. Authorities recovered 18 firearms and filed charges that include murder, attempted murder, manslaughter, assault and grand larceny.
Lee Drilly, a teen rapper, was one of the 20 members arrested, as he allegedly bragged about the crimes he committed in his 2021 single titled “BET” which garnered over 250,000 YouTube views.
Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark called the crimes senseless acts of violence and said the gang members would terrorize neighborhoods by firing guns on the streets during the daytime.
This is not the first time this year that multiple arrests have been made due to music videos. In February 2022, 11 men were taken into custody for unemployment fraud who were allegedly associated with the Woo gang in Brooklyn.
