Suffolk County, NY - July 19, 2016 - Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota joined by law enforcement officials affiliated with the East End Drug Task Force today announced the dismantling of two drug distribution networks; one dealing heroin, the other cocaine, in eastern Suffolk County. 

To date fourteen people have been arrested and arraigned including three members of the Bloods street gang.  More arrests are expected.  Approximately six kilos of cocaine and heroin were seized during the execution of more than one dozen search warrants since last Thursday, July 14.

District Attorney Spota said the investigation began when patrol officers from east end police departments saw a significant upward trend in the seizure of both heroin and cocaine last September. The EEDTF began actively looking into where the drugs were coming from and who was responsible for bringing them into the east end, DA Spota said.

The task force soon developed information which led them to focus on a cocaine operation in Riverhead and Southampton being supplied principally by Corey Woodley, 36, of Flanders and Eric Thomas, AKA “E”, 42, of Riverhead.  Thomas, described by the District Attorney as a “significant reseller” for the cocaine distribution network, was on parole at the time of his arrest July 14 when task force members executed a search warrant at his Lewis Street home.  Investigators seized cocaine and over $4,000 in cash from the house, as well as scales, a cocaine “grinder” and other drug paraphernalia.   

Other defendants facing criminal charges include Ronald Paschall, also known as “APP”, 42, a Northampton man associated with “The Stones” - a subset of the Bloods street gang. Paschall has a prior criminal record including assault and felony drug possession.  On July 6 he was arrested in Suffolk County by Task Force investigators as he was returning to the east end from picking up a kilo and a half of cocaine in NYC.

Paschall has been indicted by a Grand Jury for Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree, a class A felony.  DA Spota said the investigation revealed that Paschall was picking up cocaine twice a week which he then sold to resellers who distributed the cocaine to users in East Hampton, Riverhead, Southampton and Southold Towns. 

The investigation broadened District Attorney Spota said into a probe of a second narcotics distribution ring run by Paschall’s fellow gang members Jimmy Dean, 38, of Baiting Hollow and Dean’s runner, Dwayne Harris, 31, of Riverhead, who sold cocaine primarily.

Dean, a prior felony offender convicted of selling narcotics for which he received a five year prison sentence, is believed to be a leader of the “The Stones” gang on the east end.  On July 13, police executed a search warrant at Dean’s Warner Drive home and seized heroin, cocaine, packaging materials, a loaded shotgun in the master bedroom next to Dean’s bed and another firearm, a loaded semi-automatic Glock, in Dean’s car.  The handgun was traced to North Carolina where it had been reported stolen.   Dwayne Harris, also a member of the Stones gang, has a prior criminal record including drug possession and DWI convictions.

Attending the press conference with DA Spota were Riverhead Town Supervisor Sean Walter and Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman, and officials of law enforcement agencies affiliated with the East End Drug Task Force including US Immigration & Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, Lt. Pete Healey of the NY State Police, the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, Suffolk County Police Deputy Chief Robert Oswald and Deputy Inspector Armando Valencia who is the Commanding Officer of the SCPD Narcotics Section, Chief Martin Flatley of the Southold PD, Southampton Town Police Chief Rob Pearce, Southampton Village PD Chief Tom Cummins,  Riverhead Town Police Chief David Hegemiller, and the Suffolk County Probation Department’s Director of Probation Patrice Delpolsky.

"Drug dealers and weapons are a deadly combination. We are pleased to have removed several of both off the streets of Suffolk County during these enforcement operations,” said Angel M. Melendez, special agent in charge of HSI New York. "As a member of the East End Drug Task Force, we work as a team to dismantle drug trafficking organizations that flood our communities with drugs and violence".

The East End Drug Task Force is a multi-jurisdictional drug enforcement unit funded by the office of Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota.  The task force includes detectives, police officers and law enforcement personnel from the New York State Police, Suffolk County Police Department, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, Suffolk County Department of Probation, Southampton Town Police Department, Riverhead Police Department, East Hampton Town Police Department, Southampton Village Police Department, Southold Town Police Department, DEA, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Suffolk County District Attorney Investigators.

East End Drug Task Force Heroin-Cocaine Distribution Networks

Defendant Pedigree List 7-19-2016

Ronald Paschall aka “App” or “Big App”
Riverhead, NY
Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 1^st
Unlawful Fleeing from a Police Officer in a Motor Vehicle 3^rd – 2 counts
Reckless driving and other traffic violations
Speeding
Unsafe Passing on the Right
Gang Affiliation – Blood
Defense Attorney: Robert Macedonio
Date of Arrest: 7-6-16

Jerome Carey aka “Sweets”
Sound Beach, NY
Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 1^st
Gang Affiliation – Blood
Defense Attorney: John Loturco
Date of Arrest: 7-6-16

John Miles aka “Mann”
Mastic, NY
Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 1^st
Gang Affiliaton – Blood
Defense Attorney: Legal Aid
Date of Arrest: 7-6-16

Cory Woodley
Riverhead, NY
Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 1^st
Defense Attorney: Keith O’Halloran
Date of Arrest: 6-14-16

Herbert Prophet
Uniondale, NY
Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 1^st
Failing to Display a Lit Tail Lamp During Hours of Darkness
Defense Attorney: Raymond Perini
Date of Arrest: 6-14-16

Reynaldo DeJesusMelo
Bronx, NY
Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 1^st
Defense Attorney: Legal Aid
Date of Arrest: 6-29-16

Jimmy Dean
Baiting Hollow, NY
Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 3^rd - 2 counts
Criminal Possession of a Weapon 2^nd
Criminal Possession of Stolen Property 4th
Criminally Using Drug Paraphernalia 2^nd - 2 counts
Criminal Possession of a Weapon
Unlawful Possession of Marijuana
Gang Affiliaton – Blood
Defense Attorney: Lane Bubka
Date of Arrest: 7-13-16

Dwayne K. Harris
Riverhead, NY
Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 3^rd- 3 counts
Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 4th
Criminal Use of Drug Paraphernalia 2^nd
Unlawful Possession of Marijuana
Gang Affiliaton – Blood
Defense Attorney: John Loturco
Date of Arrest: 7-13-16

Eric Thomas aka “E”
Riverhead, NY
Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 3^rd - 2 counts
Criminal Use of Drug Paraphernalia 2^nd
Unlawful Possession of Marijuana
Defense Attorney: Jon Manley
Date of Arrest: 7-14-16

Lakiwa Kelly
Shirley, NY
Criminal Possession of Controlled Substance 3^rd
Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 4^th
Criminal Use of Drug Paraphernalia 2^nd
Unlawful Possession of Marijuana
Defense Attorney: Carl Irace
Date of Arrest: 7-16-16

Walter James
Riverhead, NY
Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 7^th – 3 counts
Defense Attorney: Steven Santucci
Date of Arrest: 7-16-16

Rosemary Hinchy Brown
Riverhead, NY
Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 3^rd
Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 4^th
Criminal Use of Drug Paraphernalia 2^nd
Unlawful Possession of Marijuana
Defense Attorney: Daniel Barker
Date of Arrest: 7-16-16

Tiffany Norris
Riverhead, NY
Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 7^th – 3 counts
Defense Attorney: Steven Devito
Date of Arrest: 7-16-16

Shawanna James
Flanders, NY
Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 7^th
Date of Arrest: 7-16-16