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6ix9ine may get some justice for the killing of his ex-girlfriend Ariela La Langosta.
Federal authorities arrested eleven members of the Bad Boys 7 gang on July 20, 2026, for the murder of influencer Ariela during what prosecutors described as a botched carjacking.
The indictment revealed that six of the defendants could face the death penalty for her killing on August 17, 2025, on the Cross County Parkway in Mount Vernon, New York.
The rapper’s public response showed just how deep their bond ran.
Ariela, whose real name was Ariela Mejia-Polanco, had built a massive following with over 700,000 Instagram followers and appeared in 6ix9ine’s 2023 music video for “Wapae.”
The two were inseparable, and when she was gunned down in her Mercedes Benz near the Broad Street exit, the initial speculation centered on whether her death was connected to 6ix9ine’s past gang affiliations and his cooperation with federal prosecutors.
That theory fell apart once according to the federal indictment, authorities confirmed the killing was purely random.
The gang members had placed a GPS tracker on her luxury vehicle and attempted to steal it, firing multiple shots when she tried to escape.
6ix9ine’s tribute to Ariela was raw and emotional. He called her the “Queen of New York” and posted videos of them together, writing “NY will never be the same” and “I loved you.”
The rapper’s words reflected the genuine friendship they shared, far removed from the street violence that ultimately took her life.
Ariela worked at nightclubs Opus Lounge and Ikon New York in Inwood and was known for her warmth and humility.
Cardi B also paid respects, posting a photo with the caption “Rip Dominican pretty.”
The Trinitarios gang, founded in 1993 inside Rikers Island Prison to protect Dominican inmates, has evolved into the largest Dominican-American criminal organization on the East Coast.
Bad Boys 7 operates as a subset primarily active in New Jersey and the Bronx, engaging in everything from narcotics trafficking to violent crimes.
District Attorney Susan Cacace stated that Ariela “was an innocent young woman unknown to any of these gang members who had the misfortune of crossing their paths by pure happenstance.”
The defendants, ranging in age from 20 to 30 with 40 prior arrests combined, face charges including racketeering conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering, robberies, assaults, carjackings, drug trafficking, and wire fraud.
According to law enforcement officials, the investigation also linked the gang to four non-fatal shootings and a dozen robberies.
The indictment covers crimes spanning from September 2023 through September 2025, with the gang responsible for five murders total, including those of Frankelis Tavarez, Gabriel Alvarez, Adam Waldropt, and Alvis Perez Liriano.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton and FBI Assistant Director James Barnacle called Ariela’s killing “horrific in its brutality” and emphasized the collaborative effort between federal, state, and local agencies that cracked the case.
All defendants except one were already in custody, with the final arrest occurring in Manchester, New Jersey, on the day before the indictment was unsealed.
