Suffolk County, NY - July 12, 2017 - District Attorney Thomas Spota today will be joined by the US Drug Enforcement Administration and the Suffolk County Police Department to announce the arrest of 16 suspects, including 12 Suffolk County residents, on heroin and cocaine trafficking charges.
The execution of search warrants in Brentwood, Central Islip and four locations in Queens resulted in the recovery of one kilo of heroin, quantities of crack-cocaine and marijuana, over $100,000 in cash and nine luxury vehicles including an Aston Martin.
Exhibits will include the heroin and other seized narcotics, weapons, cash, scales and other paraphernalia as well as photographs of the defendants who have already been arraigned.
The alleged head of the drug ring, a 35 year old Jackson Heights man charged with the top count of Operating as a Major Trafficker, was collecting more than $12,000 in cash every three days by transporting heroin and cocaine from Queens to locations in Central Islip and Brentwood where the drugs were distributed to other ring members for eventual street sales in Ronkonkoma, Islip Terrace, Oakdale, Smithtown and other Suffolk communities.
“During the investigation we learned the head of this drug network was a stern taskmaster who required his sellers to work specific shifts selling heroin from 8 in the morning to midnight every day,” DA Spota said.
The news conference is scheduled for 12:30 PM tomorrow, Wednesday, July 12, at the SCDA office in Hauppauge, Building #77, in the North County Complex at 725 Veterans Memorial Highway.
A criminal charge is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.