Five alleged Buck Wild gang members are set to begin trial as of yesterday. Buck Wild was once known as one of the most feared gangs in Palm Beach County. The racketeering and conspiracy trial will conclude the April 2010 indictment that listed dozens of violent crime charges including guns, drugs, theft, and assault.

Buck Wild Trial

The five men on trial include Marquis Alfred, 20; James Anderson, 22; Larry Coe, 25; Quamaine Falana, 19; and James Roundtree, 22. Investigators and prosecutors continue to stress how monumental the takedown of these alleged gang members was. The investigation required the efforts of a specialized task force designed to mitigate gang violence.

Palm Beach County sheriff’s Lt. Mike Wallace was head of the Palm Beach County Violent Crimes Task Force and led the major bust. He is now head of the Homicide Unit, and describes when Buck Wild controlled various parts of Riviera Beach and Palm Beach County:

“If you were to go to Avenue S in Riviera Beach right now and ask them about Buck Wild, everyone there would know who they were.”

Buck Wild was number 4 on the list of the top 10 most dangerous suspected gangs in the county when prosecutors announced the Buck Wild indictments. Although detectives were able to link the gang to a number of killings, no murder charges were listed in the 31-page indictment. Most of the charges against the five members include guns, drugs, theft, assault, and resisting arrest.

This information was taken from the Palm Beach Post.

Gang related crime

Gang activity in Palm Beach County has been a significant problem for some time. A huge portion of homicides, thefts, and assaults are constantly connected with gang activity. In 2006, Palm Beach County saw 101 murders, 48 of which were directly gang related.

Because gangs are a growing problem, crimes like drug trafficking, robbery, theft, assault, and especially weapons possession will involve intense scrutiny by prosecutors because these are the crimes often committed by gangs. If you have been charged with any of these crimes you need to immediately contact a criminal defense lawyer. An experienced lawyer will guide you through the process and may even help lessen your charges, especially if you are connected with gang activity.