![]() ![]() ![]() In October 1991, Rafael Martinez, his brothers, and other members of the gang were arrested on multiple charges stemming from their cocaine business. Though no one was ever convicted of the crime (two members of the gang were tried and acquitted), Reyes's murder led to increased police investigation of the Jheri Curls and ultimately to the gang's penetration by several undercover officers. Soon after, on May 23, 1991, Reyes was shot to death outside of a bank in broad daylight. Reyes, who was retired from the city's welfare department, had confronted the gang members about their illicit activities and began aiding the police. 157th St which served as the gang's base of operations. The Jheri Curls pulled in millions of dollars per year in cocaine sales (allowing the Martinez brothers to live comfortably in Queens), and gang leader Rafael was able to secrete some of the money in properties in the Dominican Republic.ĭespite their seemingly non-threatening name, the Jheri Curls were known and feared in Washington Heights for their extreme violence-Rafael Martinez reportedly shot his girlfriend in the kneecap when she made fun of his limp-and in particular for the murder of Jose Reyes, a 67-year-old resident of the apartment building at 614 W. The gang was led by Rafael Martinez along with his brothers Lorenzo, Julian, Daniel, and Cesar. Taking their moniker, and coiffures, from the Jheri curl hairstyle that was of waning popularity in the United States during the time, the gang ran a major cocaine trafficking operation in upper Manhattan which was ultimately based out of an apartment complex on W. The Jheri Curls were a Dominican gang which was active in the Washington Heights, Manhattan neighborhood of New York City in the early 1990s. ( April 2009) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. ![]()
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