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<h3><strong><span style="color:#240101;"><em><span style="color:#808080;">Trial of &#8216;Gangsta&#8217; cop ends in conviction</span></em></span></strong></h3>
<h6><strong><span style="color:#240101;">New York cop Merlin Alston, 34, helped drug kingpin Gabriel Reyes, his former buddy from high school, move cocaine from 2010 to 2014 </span></strong></h6>
<h6><strong><span style="color:#240101;">Accused of being a &#8216;mole&#8217; for drug dealers in the New York area </span></strong></h6>
<h6><strong><span style="color:#240101;">Charged with narcotic conspiracy, a helper, driver and shotgun-toting bodyguard for a drug-dealer, over a four-year period</span></strong></h6>
<h6><strong><span style="color:#240101;">Federal prosecutors say Alston who is also married to a cop, aided Reyes for swag such as clubbing expenses and loaned jewelry</span></strong></h6>
<p>Allegedly behind gang-land style execution and intimidation of key witnesses, using insider knowledge of prosecution&#8217;s case</p>
<h6><strong><span style="color:#240101;">His bail was revoked shortly before his trial, after cops found a key witness , Robert Bishun, strangled in the rear of his BMW. The home of another witness was shot up</span></strong></h6>
<h6><strong><span style="color:#240101;">Alston is currently suspended from the police department, pending termination by NYPD </span></strong></h6>
<h6><span style="color:#240101;"><strong>Merlin Alston faces up to life in prison for drug conspiracy and gun charges, sentencing scheduled for February 2, next year<br />
</strong></span> <img src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/accused-nypd-cop-merlin-alston1.jpg?w=680" alt="Accused NYPD cop Merlin Alston1.jpg" /></h6>
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<h6 class="ra-module top h"><strong>Disgraced cop Merlin Alston, waiting to be arraigned in Manhattan Supreme Court</strong></h6>
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<div class="ra-byline"> A Manhattan federal jury on Monday found an NYPD officer guilty of protecting a Bronx drug dealer and helping him traffic at least 5 kilos of cocaine. Despite the the efforts of the defense team throughout the trial to portray key prosecution witnesses as untrustworthy, casting them as snitches intent on saving their own skin, the embattled officer was convicted by a 12-man jury on Monday.</div>
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<article id="ra-body">Alston, 34, allegedly, helped now convicted drug kingpin Gabriel Reyes, his friend from high school, move over 40 kilos of cocaine from 2010 to 2014, according to the Manhattan U.S. Attorney, Preet Bharara.<br />
Alston also was charged with tipping off other dealers about police movements and ongoing investigations, prosecutors said.<br />
Throughout the trial, Alston&#8217;s attorney, Jeffery Greco, contended that prosecution witnesses were self-serving snitches intent on saving their own skin. Attacking the prosecution&#8217;s case of quid-pro-quo on the basis of the insignificant amount of payouts to Alston, he closed by telling the court that his would have to be &#8220;the dumbest person in the world&#8221; to have helped Reyes for free.<br />
Greco said it didn&#8217;t make sense that Alston aided Reyes move kilos of coke for only $600 in swag, extended in such forms such as clubbing expenses and loaned jewelry, over a four-year period.<br />
He summed it up: &#8220;Even a pizza delivery driver gets paid for delivering a pizza&#8221;.<br />
&#8220;Here, he&#8217;s delivering drugs that can get him in prison for life, and he doesn&#8217;t get a penny?&#8221;<br />
&#8220;Unless Merlin Alston is the dumbest person in the world, you&#8217;re expected to believe he was being compensated by $7.50 beers and $10 vodka cranberries?&#8221; Greco said.</p>
<h6><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-92354" src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/robert-bishun1.jpg" alt="Robert Bishun1.jpg" width="1200" height="1143" /><br />
<strong>&#8216;Cooperating [prosecution] witness&#8217; Robert Bishun was forced into the trunk of his own car and abducted from his auto body shop. His was found strangled, in the back of the abandoned BMW</strong></h6>
<p>After the jury decision was read Greco said: &#8220;We respect the verdict, but we&#8217;re clearly disappointed,&#8221; &#8220;We&#8217;ll have to make a decision whether to appeal&#8221;.<br />
Referring to his client, &#8220;He&#8217;s probably in shock right now. I don&#8217;t know if it&#8217;s set in. It&#8217;s pretty quick&#8221;, Greco said.<br />
The case which saw then, 32-year-old police officer Merlin Alston, was arrested on conspiracy and official misconduct charges at his posting at his Precinct in the first week of December in 2014, had seen twists and high drama including witness intimidation and slayings.<br />
Last September, a cooperating witness set to testify against Alston was abducted from his business and executed, gangland-style in the Bronx, forcing Federal Judge Colleen McMahon to revoke Alston&#8217;s bail even before his trial began. Bail was revoked just hours after the victim, Robert Bishun, 36, was taken from his auto body shop and found strangled in the back of his BMW.<br />
Judge McMahon was quoted as saying: “I’ve been around the racetrack once or twice. It certainly sounds like a contract killing,” adding that Bishun’s slaying smacked of “movie violence.”<br />
Federal prosecutors claimed to have recovered text messages that prove Bishun’s role in Alston trial was being monitored. Before revoking bail for Officer Alston who is also married to a cop, judge McMahon also heard of the case of another cooperating witness in the Alston case who had his house shot up. The judge ordered Alston be remanded to custody.</p>
<h6><strong><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-92199" src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/accused-nypd-cop-merlin-alston2.jpg" alt="accused-nypd-cop-merlin-alston2" width="1200" height="948" /></strong></h6>
<h6><strong>Alston in white, is brought to his arraignment in Manhattan Supreme Court last year, December</strong></h6>
<p>Gabriel Reyes who was busted on drug dealing and weapons possession charges himself, cooperating with authorities, gave up his old buddy. He testified that his high school friend, Alston, regularly came along on drug runs, often bringing his NYPD service weapon.<br />
“He told me he had my back. Just in case of anything, Merlin would do what he had to do. That was the understanding. He would protect me.”<br />
Merlin Alston who was charged with narcotic conspiracy for being a helper, driver and shotgun carrying bodyguard for a drug dealer over a four-year period, faces up to life in prison for drug conspiracy and gun charges, after his conviction.<br />
He is currently suspended from the police department, pending termination by the commissioner.<br />
Sentencing is scheduled for February 2, 2017.</p>
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NYPD officer, Merlin Alston, found guilty of helping convicted Bronx drug kingpin Gabriel Reyes, traffic cocaine
