Riverhead, NY - November 15, 2018 - Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy D. Sini, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Suffolk County Police Department today announced the unsealing of a 47-count indictment against three individuals in connection with an alleged cocaine trafficking operation in Huntington Station.
“This indictment should serve as a warning to drug dealers who operate in Suffolk County that law enforcement is coming for you,” District Attorney Sini said. “These are serious charges; two of these defendants are facing up to life in prison if convicted. We will continue to aggressively target, arrest and prosecute anyone trafficking this poison into our communities.”
Adrian Bonilla, 40, of Huntington Station, is charged with Operating as a Major Trafficker, an A-1 felony; Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree, an A-1 felony; Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a B felony; Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a B felony; Endangering the Welfare of a Child, an A misdemeanor; and two counts of Criminally Using Drug Paraphernalia in the Second Degree, an A misdemeanor. If convicted of the top count, he faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison.
Neftali Camacho Hernandez, 27, of Huntington Station, is charged with Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a B felony; 19 counts of Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a B felony; 19 counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a B felony; and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Fourth Degree, a C felony. If convicted of the top count, he faces a maximum sentence of eight and one-third to 25 years in prison.
Jennifer Perez Cordero, 28, of Huntington Station, is charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree, an A-1 felony; Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a B felony; Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a B felony; Endangering the Welfare of a Child, an A misdemeanor; and two counts of Criminally Using Drug Paraphernalia in the Second Degree, an A misdemeanor. If convicted of the top count, she faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison.
All three defendants were arraigned on the indictment today in front of Suffolk County Supreme Court Justice Martin Efman. Bail was set for Bonilla at $2,000,000 cash or $4,000,000 bond. Bail was set for Hernandez at $1,000,000 cash or $3,000,000 bond. Bail was set for Cordero at $250,000 cash or $500,000 bond.
The investigation into the defendants’ alleged illegal trafficking of narcotics began in April of 2017 and utilized electronic surveillance, physical surveillance, and the use of covert narcotics purchases from the defendants by sources known to law enforcement. The investigation resulted in 19 covert purchases of cocaine from Hernandez.
Hernandez allegedly sells crack cocaine and powder cocaine in Huntington Station, which is supplied to him by Bonilla for resale purposes. Cordero is also allegedly involved in the packaging and distribution of narcotics in concert with Bonilla and Hernandez.
Bonilla and Hernandez are alleged to have sold approximately one-third of a kilogram of cocaine per month, which is approximately 650 individual doses at one-half of a gram each. They allegedly charged $50 per one-half gram bag of cocaine, resulting in proceeds of approximately $32,500 per month.
Bonilla and Hernandez are alleged members of the Latin Kings street gang.
On November 2, law enforcement officers executed search warrants at three locations in Huntington Station affiliated with the defendants. The search warrants resulted in the seizure of approximately one kilogram of cocaine, 18 grams of crack cocaine, approximately $66,207 cash, packaging materials and digital scales.
Investigators located the kilogram of cocaine concealed underneath a bed in one of the locations affiliated with Bonilla and Cordero. Next to the bed was a bassinet holding a one-month-old infant.
“An eighteen-month investigation led to the dismantlement of a drug ring in Huntington Station,” said Acting DEA Special Agent in Charge Keith Kruskall. “Working undercover, agents and officers seized thousands of individual doses as well as a bulk amount of cocaine found adjacent to a bassinet holding a baby. Drug dealers cross all boundaries of decency when their goals are to sell drugs and make money; no one, not even babies are safe from the threats traffickers pose.”
“These individuals were making a living off selling cocaine. Two of them even put their own child at risk,” said Suffolk County Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart. “These arrests have concluded a nearly two-year investigation into drug sales in Huntington Station. This collaborative effort is another example of the results that can be achieved when agencies work together.”
The defendants are due back in court on December 12, 2018.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Tisha Burrows, of the Narcotics Bureau’s Special Narcotics Unit.
A criminal charge is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.