The Barksdale Organization, also known as the Barksdale Crew, was a West Baltimore narcotics trafficking organization. Led by Avon Barksdale and Russell "Stringer" Bell, they operated from the later 1990s until their dissolution in 2004.
History[]
Background[]
The Barksdale Organization operated from six of the seven high-rise towers in Franklin Terrace and the low-rise McCulloh Homes, or “The Pit,” to traffic cocaine and heroin. ("The Target") Avon and Stringer secured a heroin and cocaine supply through a Dominican crime outfit in New York City. Avon enlisted a team of enforcers including childhood friend Roland Brice.
Season 1[]
Season 2[]
Season 3[]
Season 4[]
Season 5[]
Structure[]
The principal supply of cocaine and heroin was diluted and packaged in a house in Pimlico, Maryland before distribution in Baltimore. The organization laundered its profits through front businesses including a Carlton C Douglas Funeral Services, a funeral parlor; Orlando's Gentlemen's Club; and B&B, a real estate development company. Their organization donated to, and bribed, State Senator Clay Davis in order to secure development contracts.
Avon employed seven crew chiefs to manage each of the six towers and the low-rise projects. The chiefs supervised dealers, "touts" to attract customers, "runners" to deliver narcotics, and "look-outs" to monitor for law enforcement officials stick-up crews.
A strict telephone usage policy was applied throughout the organization. The pager messages were encoded to prevent easy tracing of the telephones used, all of which were public telephones. The code was based on simple use of the telephone keypad - numbers were swapped with their opposite across the number five, and five was exchanged with zero. This made it easily accessible to the poorly educated drug dealers. Each pager-carrying member of the hierarchy was identified by a number. When pages were returned with a phone call no names were supposed to be used, and if a name was used, the speaker was reminded not to. A separate code was used for resupply signals, which involved turning the pager display upside down.
Franklin Terrace[]
Tower One - 221 - Peanut, Roc-Roc (lieutenant)
Tower Two - 734
Tower Three - 954
Tower Four - 770 - Savino Bratton
Tower Five - 851 - Ronald "Ronnie Moe" Watkins, Little Vic (dealer)
Tower Six - Saratoga
Membership[]
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ALIVE | |
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INCARCERATED | |
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DECEASED | |
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INACTIVE |
Leadership[] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Picture | Name | Seasons | Status | Overview | |
 |
Avon Barksdale | 1, 2, 3, 5 | Incarcerated |
Avon Barksdale was the leader of the organization. He was convicted in 2004 for no less than twenty-five years. | |
 |
Shaun McGinty | 2, 3 | Incarcerated |
Shaun "Shamrock" McGinty was Russell "Stringer" Bell's administrative assistant while Avon Barksdale was in prison. He was arrested and indicted in 2004. | |
|
Russell Bell | 1, 2, 3 | Deceased |
Russell "Stringer" Bell was Avon Barksdale's chief administrator before Avon's arrest, acting boss while Avon was incarcerated, and street boss upon Avon's release. He was shot and killed by Omar Little and Brother Mouzone. | |
Enforcement[] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Picture | Name | Seasons | Status | Overview | |
 |
Marquis Hilton | 1, 2 | Incarcerated |
Marquis "Bird" Hilton was an enforcer who murdered state's witness William Gant in 2002. He was convicted for Gant's murder in 2003. | |
 |
Perry | 1, 2, 3 | Incarcerated |
Perry was an enforcer who performed security at the funeral parlor. Perry was arrested and indicted in 2004. | |
 |
Roland Brice | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 | Incarcerated |
Roland "Wee-Bey" Brice was the Barksdale organization's chief enforcer until he was sentenced to life without parole in 2002. | |
 |
Bernard | 3 | Incarcerated |
Bernard was responsible for purchasing the organization's prepaid cell phones. He was arrested and indicted in 2004. | |
|
Gerard | 3 | Incarcerated |
Gerard was an inexperienced Barksdale soldier. He was arrested and indicted in 2004. | |
 |
Sapper | 3 | Incarcerated |
Sapper was a simple-minded Barksdale soldier. He was arrested and indicted in 2004. | |
 |
Anton Artis | 1 | Deceased |
Anton "Stinkum" Artis was an enforcer in the Barksdale crew. He managed the the transfer of drugs from Franklin Terrace to the low-rise housing project known as "The Pit". Artis was shot by Omar Little in retaliation for Brandon Wright's torture and murder. | |
 |
Wintell Royce | 1 | Deceased |
Wintell "Little Man" Royce was a heavyset soldier in the Barksdale crew. He was the chief enforcer of Tower 221 in Franklin Terrace. Royce shot Shakima "Kima" Greggs, drawing the attention of law enforcement and media. Deeming Royce unreliable, Russell "Stringer" Bell ordered Roland "Wee-Bey" Brice to murder Royce in 2002. | |
 |
Savino Bratton | 1, 5 | Deceased |
Savino Bratton was a low-level enforcer and crew chief until he was sentenced to three years with parole for his involvement in Detective Greggs's shooting. By 2008, he was involved with the Stanfield Organization. Savino was killed by Omar Little in 2008 in retaliation for Butchie's murder. | |
 |
"Country" | 2, 3 | Deceased |
Country was a Barksdale soldier who, despite being on parole, resumed his involvement with the Barksdale Organization in 2003. He was shot and killed in an attempted drive-by in 2004. | |
 |
Rico | 2, 3 | Deceased |
Rico was a heavy-set Barksdale enforcer who often worked as a bodyguard or door man. Rico was shot and killed by Felicia "Snoop" Pearson in a drive-by in 2004. | |
 |
"Tank" | 2, 3 | Deceased |
A minor Barksdale enforcer . | |
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"Tater" | 3 | Deceased |
Tater was a soldier working for Avon Barksdale. He was shot and killed by Chris Partlow while attempting to drive away Perry, "Slim" Charles, and Avon Barksdale. | |
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Dennis "Cutty" Wise | 3, 4, 5 | Inactive |
Dennis "Cutty" Wise is an ex-convict who briefly resumed his affiliation with the Barksdale Organization upon release in 2004. | |
 |
Slim Charles | 3, 4, 5 | Inactive |
In 2004, "Slim" Charles was an enforcer for Avon. He would later serve as the chief enforcer for Proposition Joe, and, after Joe's murder, the leader of the New Day Co-Op alongside "Fat Face Rick". | |
Crew Chiefs and Dealers[] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Picture | Name | Seasons | Status | Overview |
 |
Marvin Browning | 1 | Incarcerated |
Marvin was a dealer for the Barksdale who was convicted in 2002. Browning apprised Stringer of what the Baltimore Police Department knew. |
 |
Ronald "Ronnie Moe" Watkins | 1 | Incarcerated |
Ronald "Ronnie Mo" Watkins was the crew chief of "The Pit." After D'Angelo's release in February 2002, Watkins became the new crew chief of Franklin Terrace Tower Five, 851. He was convicted in 2002. |
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Herbert De'Rodd Johnson | 1, 2, 3 | Incarcerated |
Herbert De'Rodd "Puddin" Johnson is a Barksdale Organization drug dealer and a friend to Bodie Broadus and Poot Carr. |
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D'Angelo Barksdale | 1, 2 | Deceased |
D'Angelo Barksdale was Avon's nephew and a lieutenant in his drug dealing organization. Nervous about D'Angelo's resolve, Russell "Stringer" Bell had him murdered. He was asphyxiated to death in 2003. |
 |
Preston Broadus | 1, 2, 3, 4 | Deceased |
Bodie was a loyal drug dealer for the Barksdale organization, left to run his own small independent crew after the organization fell apart. He was subsequently shot in the head by Darius "O-Dog" Hill, a rising enforcer in Marlo Stanfield's crew. |
 |
Wallace | 1 | Deceased |
Wallace handled the count for D'Angelo Barksdale's crew. He was bothered by the brutal murder of Omar's boyfriend by the Barksdale crew, who left his body on display in the projects as a warning to others. He left the organization briefly and upon his return was murdered by Poot and Bodie on Stringer's orders. |
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Malik "Poot" Carr | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 | Inactive |
Poot was a loyal dealer for the Barksdale organization, who serves brief prison time for his crimes. After returning from prison, he rejoins Bodie on his corner, but later leaves the game to work at a shoe store after Bodie was killed. |
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Sterling | 1 | Inactive |
Sterling was a member of D'Angelo Barksdale's crew who was shot by Omar Little. |
Associates[] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Picture | Name | Seasons | Status | Overview |
 |
Maurice Levy | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 | Alive |
Maurice "Maury" Levy was the Barksdale outfit's legal counsel and represented all members of the Barksdale Organization during proffers and criminal trials. |
 |
Wendell "Orlando" Blocker | 1 | Deceased |
Wendell "Orlando" Blocker was the manager of Orlando's Gentlemen's Club, a front organization to launder money. He was shot and killed by Roland "Wee-Bey" Brice and Wintell "Little Man" Royce in 2002. |
 |
Shardene Innes | 1, 5 | Inactive |
Shardene Innes is a former dancer at Orlando's who was in a brief relationship with D'Angelo Barksdale. She is now the romantic partner of retired homicide detective Lester Freamon. |
Family[] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Picture | Name | Seasons | Status | Overview |
 |
Donette | 1, 2, 3 | Alive |
Donette is the former girlfriend of D'Angelo Barksdale and the mother to his child. After D'Angelo's incarceration, she began a relationship with Stringer Bell. |
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Brianna Barksdale | 1, 2, 3, 4 | Alive |
Brianna Barksdale is the sister of Avon Barksdale and the mother of D'Angelo. |
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De'Londa Brice | 4 | Alive |
De'Londa Brice is the wife of Roland "Wee-Bey" Brice and the mother of Namond Brice. |
Homicides[]
|
Victim |
Perpetrator |
Year | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maurice Scroggins | Roland “Wee-Bey” Brice | 2001 | |
| Deirdre Kresson | Roland “Wee-Bey” Brice | 2001 | |
| Pooh Blanchard | D'Angelo Barksdale | 2001 | |
| Toreen Boyd | Roland “Wee-Bey” Brice | 2002 | |
| Roland Leggett | Roland “Wee-Bey” Brice | 2002 | |
| Colette | Roland “Wee-Bey” Brice | 2002 | |
| Gerard Bogue | "Little" Kevin | 2002 | |
| John Bailey | Roland “Wee-Bey” Brice and Marquis "Bird" Hilton | 2002 | |
| Brandon Wright | Roland “Wee-Bey” Brice, Anton "Stinkum" Artis," and Marquis "Bird" Hilton | 2002 | |
| Wendell Blocker | Roland “Wee-Bey” Brice and Wintell “Little Man” Royce | 2002 | |
| Wintell “Little Man” Royce | Roland “Wee-Bey” Brice | 2002 | |
| Nakeesha Lyles | Roland “Wee-Bey” Brice | 2002 | |
| Wallace | Preston “Bodie” Broadus and Malik “Poot” Carr | 2002 | |
| D’Angelo Barksdale | Maryland House of Correction inmate by order of Russell "Stringer" Bell | 2003 | |
| Five Maryland House of Correction inmates | Avon Barksdale | 2003 | |
| “Boo” | “Slim“ Charles | 2004 | |
| LaTroy | “Slim“ Charles | 2004 |