A.G. Schneiderman And NYSP Superintendent D’Amico Announce Takedown Of Two Major Narcotics Pipelines

Late last week Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman and New York State Police (NYSP) Superintendent Joseph A. D’Amico announced the indictment of 41 people charged with operating two related drug trafficking pipelines that transported heroin between New York City; Providence, RI; Worcester, MA, and Syracuse, and cocaine from Puerto Rico to Syracuse. Nine members of the same Syracuse family helped run one of the rings, and one of those family members was involved in the second ring. The defendants were arrested today in a series of early morning raids in Syracuse, the Bronx, Manhattan, Ossining, NY, and Paterson, NJ.

“Heroin has become one of the deadliest forces attacking communities across New York and the country,” said Attorney General Schneiderman. “Takedowns like this one strike a significant blow to the criminal element of narcotics trafficking, particularly across Central New York. To protect our communities from the heroin scourge, we must wage war on several different fronts — by equipping our law enforcement officers with antidotes to overdoses and cracking down on prescription drug abuse to stem heroin addiction before it starts.”

“Our partnership with the Attorney General and the Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF) has once again resulted in shutting down a major drug operation – this one operating right here in Central New York,” said New York State Police Superintendent Joseph A. D’Amico. “The New York State Police remain committed to working with the Attorney General’s Office, and our partners in local law enforcement, to identify these dealers, shut down their operations and send a message loud and clear to anyone dealing these dangerous and deadly drugs -- we will find you and you will be held accountable.”

According to one of two indictments unsealed today in Onondaga County Court, the first drug ring comprised at least 19 individuals, 9 of whom are members of the same family. This ring allegedly imported cocaine from Puerto Rico and heroin from Worcester, MA, and Rochester to Syracuse, and then distribute it in and around the area. Over the course of the nine-month investigation, which was led by OCTF, NYSP and the Syracuse Police Department, authorities seized 29 bags of heroin, more than a kilogram of cocaine, a large quantity of prescription pills and several thousand dollars in cash in connection with this indictment.

The second and larger indictment accuses a group of 24 individuals, two of whom also participated in the first ring, of importing heroin from New York City and Rhode Island and cocaine from Puerto Rico into the Syracuse area for resale. Authorities seized more than a kilogram of heroin and three kilograms of cocaine, as well as over $75,000 in cash, from the investigation into this ring. Three members of this ring – Maria Rodriguez, Christopher Ramos and Jeyson Pizarro – are charged with Operating as a Major Trafficker, the most serious drug crime under New York State law, and face potential life sentences.

The two separate indictments charge 41 individuals with crimes including Operating as a Major Trafficker, various counts of Criminal Sale and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance (class A and B felonies), and Conspiracy to commit those crimes. The Operating as a Major Trafficker statute (§220.77 of the Penal Law of the State of New York), authored by Attorney General Schneiderman when he was a legislator, went into effect in November 2009 as part of reforms to the Rockefeller-era drug laws and is the only felony narcotics charge in the state that carries a possible life sentence.

Those charged in the two indictments are:

VINCENTE ALVAREZ-MEDINA of Ossining, NY
IRISAIDA BERMUDEZ of Syracuse, NY
JEAN CARLOS CALDERON of Syracuse, NY
DANIEL CARRASQUILLO of Syracuse, NY
LUIS CARRASQUILLO of Syracuse, NY
JOSE CASTRO of Bronx, NY
JENNIFER CEPEDA of Syracuse, NY
LUIS CHARLEMAN of Syracuse, NY
EDWIN COLON-LOPEZ of Syracuse, NY
LUIS CRUZ of Syracuse, NY
MARIO D. CRUZ-ALMONTE of Paterson, NJ
MOISES FIGUEROA-HERNANDEZ of Syracuse, NY
YELITZA MARQUEZ-ALEJO of Syracuse, NY
EZEQUIEL MARTINEZ of Syracuse, NY
JOSUE MARTINEZ of Syracuse, NY
JOSE MERCEDES of Bronx, NY
MARISELA ORNELAS of Syracuse, NY
(Minor, Name Withheld) of Syracuse, NY
ROBERTO OSORIO-COMACHO of Syracuse, NY
JEAN CARLOS OSORIO-PARRILLA of Syracuse, NY
AVINADERT VIDAL PEREZ of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico
GIOBANNY PEREZ-DOMINGUEZ of Paterson, NJ
JERRY PINEDA of Bronx, NY
JEYSON PIZARRO of Syracuse, NY
KENY PIZARRO of Syracuse, NY
CHRISTOPHER RAMOS of Syracuse, NY
RAFAEL NELSON RAMOS-MALDONADO of Bronx, NY
ALEX RIVERA of Paterson, NJ
ANGEL LUIS RIVERA a/k/a JIMMY RIVERA of Syracuse, NY
EDGAR RIVERA (Alejandro) of Syracuse, NY
IRIS RIVERA of Bronx, NY
JULIO RIVERA of Bronx, NY
MARIA RODRIGUEZ of New York, NY
MIGUEL RODRIGUEZ of New York, NY
NICOLAS RODRIGUEZ-REYES of Paterson, NJ
LUZ ROSARIO of Syracuse, NY
CARMEN SANABRIA of Bronx, NY
VICTOR SANCHEZ of Bronx, NY
ZACHARY SNYDER of Central Square, NY
JESSICA TEIXEIRA of Bronx, NY
JOE ALVAREZ VEGA of Syracuse, NY

The investigation was conducted by OCTF Special Investigator William Elsenbeck, Supervising Investigator Thomas M. Wolf and Deputy Chief Eugene Black from the Attorney General’s office; Investigator Luc France of the New York State Police Special Investigations Unit and Sobrina Vasquez of the New York State Police Community Narcotics Enforcement Team. The Attorney General’s Investigations Bureau is led by Chief Investigator Dominick Zarrella. Detective Raul Santana and Special Investigation Division Captain Timothy Gay of Syracuse Police Department were also integral to the investigation.

Several additional agencies participated in the investigation, including the Oswego County District Attorney's Office, Onondaga County Sheriff's Department, Onondaga County District Attorney's Office, Onondaga County Attorney’s Office, Onondaga County Probation Department, Syracuse Police Department, Camillus Police Department, Solvay Police Department, Rochester Police Department, Cortland County Sheriff's Department, United States Parole, United States Postal Inspectors, United States Border patrol and Syracuse University Police.

The case is being prosecuted by OCTF Assistant Deputy Attorney General and Senior Investigative Counsel James J. Mindell and Deputy Attorney General Peri Alyse Kadanoff. The Executive Deputy Attorney General for Criminal Prosecutions is Kelly Donovan.

The charges against the defendants are accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.