Nineteen members of a Harlem street gang who called themselves “The Goodfellas” were busted for smuggling guns and stashing them in gutters, mailboxes and under stoops. Hit the jump to read the rest of the story.
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A massive undercover operation netted the suspects, some of whom used colorful nicknames like “Mr. Untouchable” or “Too Wild Willie.”

The investigation by the NYPD, FBI and Manhattan district attorney’s office also yielded a cache of weapons, including a Tec-9, a semiautomatic Chinese SKS military rifle and dozens of other guns.

The suspects, as young as 17, were charged with weapons possession, conspiracy, endangering the welfare of a child and firearms trafficking. Some were hit with attempted murder.

“We have dismantled one of the most violent gangs in Central Harlem,” Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr. said Friday.

Prosecutors said the gang, which also went by “The New Dons,” wasn’t involved in drugdealing. They secured weapons simply to protect their turf around 129th St. between Lenox and Fifth Aves. They stashed their guns inside public places, including a home where a 5-year-old boy lived, officials said.

“We have made great strides but our work with fighting gang violence doesn’t end with prosecution,” Vance said. “We have to give young people alternatives.”

The gang got its weapons from Virginia, which has long been one of the main sources of guns flowing into New York City.

Mayor Bloomberg recently donated $25,000 apiece to six Democratic Virginia state Senate candidates who support strict gun control.

On one occasion, 22-year-old Darnell Wynt, also known as “Bula Bless,” bought 15 illegal guns in Virginia, including the Chinese SKS rifle and the Tec-9. Wynt was nabbed by deputy sheriffs as he attempted to haul them back to Manhattan, prosecutors said.

Undercover officers monitored the gang’s movements from 2007
DN