Stephen Crane Village Drug Ring Leaders Sentenced in Federal Court for Trafficking and Murder

Final two members of violent Newark-area organization receive lengthy prison terms; leader sentenced to 45 years for 2019 murder tied to drug debt

NEWARK, N.J. — Two senior members of a violent drug trafficking organization that operated in and around Newark’s Stephen Crane Village housing complex have been sentenced to federal prison, concluding a years-long investigation and prosecution effort led by federal and local law enforcement.

On January 13 and 14, 2026, Michael Mayse, 39, and Gary Shahid, 67, both of Newark, received prison terms of 540 months (45 years) and 211 months (17 years, 7 months) respectively for their roles in the drug trafficking conspiracy. Mayse was also convicted of murder in furtherance of drug trafficking, stemming from the December 2019 killing of a fellow member of the organization over a drug-related dispute.

The two were convicted in January 2025 following a three-week trial in Newark federal court before U.S. District Judge Julien X. Neals. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tracey Agnew and Jason Goldberg of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey.

According to court records and trial evidence, the Stephen Crane Village drug trafficking organization (DTO) operated an open-air drug market in and around the housing complex, which lies near Branch Brook Park on the Newark-Belleville border. From February 2019 through February 2020, the DTO distributed narcotics including heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine base, using a stash apartment to store and package drugs.

Law enforcement built the case using surveillance operations, wiretaps, recorded communications, controlled purchases, and analysis of call records. Undercover agents and confidential sources purchased drugs from the organization, confirming its operations and structure.

On December 15, 2019, Mayse entered the group’s stash apartment and fatally shot a 21-year-old associate over a drug debt. The murder formed the basis of his additional conviction and enhanced sentence.

Shahid, identified as a primary supplier, was sentenced to 151 months for drug trafficking offenses and an additional 60 months for possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. He also received a concurrent 60-month sentence for illegal firearm possession as a previously convicted felon.

In total, 12 individuals were charged in connection to the organization. Ten co-defendants, including Jose Lora, Dayquan Jordan, Ricky Terrell, Charles Mells, Raquan Rawls, Nasir Williams, Quadir Hatcher, Tyree Purkett, James Wicker, and Dayana Valderrama, previously pleaded guilty to charges related to their respective roles in the DTO.

The investigation was conducted under the Newark Violent Crime Initiative (VCI), a multi-agency task force formed in 2017 to coordinate federal, state, and local responses to violent crime in the Newark area. The VCI includes agencies such as the U.S. Attorney’s Office, FBI, DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals Service, and local police departments including Newark and Belleville.

Special Counsel Philip Lamparello credited the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, Newark and Belleville Police Departments, and the FBI, among others.

“These sentences hold accountable two senior members of a violent drug trafficking organization that ruled Stephen Crane Village through fear, violence, and murder,” said Lamparello in a statement. “They deliver justice for the family of a young man whose life was senselessly taken and underscore this Office’s commitment to attacking violent crime wherever it exists.”