Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that Randheer Shewprashad, 25, of Patchogue, was sentenced to 10 years in prison followed by eight years of post-release supervision after pleading guilty in January to Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Second Degree and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, for selling fentanyl to an undercover officer and illegally possessing a gun.
“This defendant was already pending sentence for selling deadly fentanyl and illegal gun possession, but that did not deter him from continuing to commit these same crimes,” said District Attorney Tierney. “This 10-year prison sentence will ensure that he no longer will be able to push poisonous drugs into our community.”
According to court documents and the defendant’s admissions during his guilty plea allocution, on two separate dates between March and April 2023, undercover officers purchased cocaine and fentanyl from Shewprashad. On May 4, 2023, Shewprashad was arrested after the Suffolk County Police Department executed a search warrant at his Patchogue residence. During the search of the home, police recovered cocaine, fentanyl, and two semi-automatic handguns.
On June 22, 2023, Shewprashad pleaded guilty on that case to Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree, before Supreme Court Justice Timothy A. Mazzei.
While Shewprashad was out on bail and awaiting sentencing for that case, members of the Suffolk County Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), purchased cocaine and fentanyl from Shewprashad on three separate dates between October and November 2023. On November 21, 2023, Shewprashad was arrested again after police executed a search warrant at his Mastic residence. During the search of that residence, police recovered another semi-automatic firearm. Law enforcement also executed another search warrant at Shewprashad’s Patchogue residence, where they recovered cocaine and fentanyl mixed with xylazine.
Xylazine, also known as “Tranq,” is a non-opioid veterinary tranquilizer not approved for human use. Xylazine is increasingly being found in the illegal drug supply, particularly mixed with fentanyl, and is linked to numerous overdose deaths. Currently in New York State, xylazine is neither restricted, nor illegal. District Attorney Tierney continues to advocate for lawmakers to pass legislation that will make xylazine illegal.
On January 18, 2024, Shewprashad pleaded guilty before Justice Mazzei to Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Second Degree, a Class A-II felony. On May 2, 2024, Justice Mazzei sentenced Shewprashad to 10 years in prison followed by eight years of post-release supervision. He was represented by Matthew Rosenblum, Esq.
Both cases were prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Nicholas Maggio of the Narcotics Bureau with investigative assistance from the Suffolk County Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Criminal complaints and indictments are merely accusatory instruments. Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. No one is above the law.