D.A. Bragg Announces Prison Sentence for Ringleader of Violent West Harlem Drug Trafficking Ring


January 10, 2023

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., today announced the 12-year prison sentence of ANDREW MCFALINE, 27, for his role as the ringleader of a violent drug trafficking ring that operated in West Harlem. On October 14, 2022, MCFALINE pleaded guilty to one count of Operating as a Major Trafficker; one count of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree; one count of Robbery in the Second Degree; one count of Conspiracy in the Third Degree; and one count of Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree.

“This individual led a sprawling and violent drug trafficking ring that wreaked havoc in Harlem,” said District Attorney Bragg. “Our continued prosecution of the dozens of defendants involved in this case makes clear that we will use every tool at our disposal to dismantle these types of groups in any form they take. I thank our team of prosecutors for their work on this complex case.” 

As admitted in his guilty plea, from January 2019 to September 2021, MCFALINE led a group known as “Main Event,” which primarily sold crack cocaine. Main Event totaled 48 members and associates, many of whom were family members who grew up in the organization’s primary operating area of Amsterdam Avenue to Riverside Drive on West 135th and West 136th Streets.

MCFALINE divided the group’s area of operations into six locations. The leader of each of those locations operated customer lines, and employed street-level dealers, cooks, drivers, individuals who provided security, and other associates. Each of the six locations was in operation nearly 24 hours a day.

The group often used violence in disputes with rivals, including a shooting in 2020 on West 135th Street. Three of the members were also involved in a 2020 stabbing following a dispute over territory. In 2019, there were two confirmed fatal overdoses associated with sales by the organization.

The organization frequently recruited teenagers as young as 15-years-old to carry out its narcotic sales and acts of violence.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant D.A. and Attorney in Charge of Drug Strategies Kaitrin Roberts and Assistant D.A. and Counsel to the Investigation Division Raymond Castello, under the supervision of Christopher Prevost (Chief of the Violent Criminal Enterprise Unit) and Lisa DelPizzo (Chief of the Trial Division). Investigative Analyst Molly McElligott has assisted with the case.

D.A. Bragg thanked Detective James Burpoe and the undercover detectives of the NYPD’s Narcotics Borough Manhattan North.

Defendant Information:
ANDREW MCFALINE
New York, New York

Convicted:

  • Operating as a Major Trafficker, a class A-I felony, one count
  • Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a class B felony, one count
  • Robbery in the Second Degree, a class C felony, one count
  • Conspiracy in the Third Degree, a class D felony, one count
  • Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree, a class E felony, one count

Sentenced:

  • 12 years in state prison, 5 years post-release supervision

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