Source: US FBI
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Thirteen people have been charged and arrested for their roles in a New York City-based drug trafficking ring, with federal agents seizing nearly 500 kilos of cocaine.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III; Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge, New York Division, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); Craig A. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge, Albany Field Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); and Steven G. James, Superintendent, New York State Police (NYSP).
On June 12, law enforcement officers, including from the NYSP, DEA and FBI, conducted searches at 24 locations in New York and New Jersey as part of an operation to break up a drug trafficking network that shipped drugs from California to New York City and then Upstate New York. The searches resulted in the seizure of almost 250 kilos of cocaine, fentanyl pills, other drugs and paraphernalia, a firearm and more than $1 million in cash. Law enforcement also made arrests in Georgia and Pennsylvania.
The searches and arrests on June 12 followed an 18-month-long investigation in which law enforcement seized more than 240 kilos of cocaine, 185 pounds of methamphetamine, and almost 700 pounds of marijuana.
United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III said: “Using an all-hands-on-deck approach, we have smashed a sophisticated, New York City-based drug trafficking organization that was pumping poison into our Upstate New York communities. This case demonstrates the federal government’s commitment to taking back our communities from the criminal organizations that have proliferated in recent years thanks to weak state laws and even weaker state legislators from New York City.”
DEA Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino said: “Over the past year and a half, our DEA team, working alongside our dedicated law enforcement partners, have successfully targeted the Abdelhak drug trafficking organization which has plagued and poisoned our communities here in New York and across the Northeastern corridor with illicit narcotics. While these operations have made a significant impact dismantling this drug trafficking network’s criminal enterprise, the DEA’s mission is far from over. The DEA remains steadfast in our commitment to saving lives, and we will continue to pursue the drug cartels and those individuals responsible for flooding our neighborhoods with these poisonous drugs.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig A. Tremaroli said: “This network’s reach was expansive – moving drugs from California to sell in communities within the Capital Region, North Country, Central New York, Western New York, and New York City. But the reach of our federal task forces is deeper, and these 13 individuals learned the hard way that the FBI, together with our law enforcement partners, will not stand idly by while criminals pedal drugs on our streets.”
NYSP Superintendent Steven G. James said: “This investigation and the arrests that followed reflect our unwavering commitment to protecting the public from the violence and devastation drug trafficking brings to our communities. These individuals were responsible for flooding our streets with lethal narcotics, putting countless lives at risk. By taking down this network, we have removed a serious threat to the safety of neighborhoods across New York. I thank our Troopers and all of our law enforcement partners for their tireless work to safeguard our state.”
According to a criminal complaint, the following people are charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances:
- Samer Abdelhak, aka “Semi,” age 35, of Fresh Meadows, New York;
- Leon Chen, aka “Don Eladio,” 29, of Long Island City, New York;
- Michael Harper, aka “Miz,” 38, of Corning, New York;
- Anthony Medina, aka “Tank” and “Fatboy,” 28, of Painted Post, New York;
- Broslloyd Campbell, 42, of Hewlett, New York;
- Anthony Dixon Jr., 41, of Jackson, New Jersey;
- Chaquill Foster, aka “Lo” and “Gucci,” 31, of Schenectady, New York;
- Christopher Smith, aka “Boot,” 39, of Fresh Meadows, New York;
- Jason Hogue, aka “Whispers,” 44, of Lake Placid, New York;
- Christopher Christman, aka “Free,” “Fremont,” and “Puffy,” 42, of Fresh Meadows, New York;
- Cesar Ariel Castro-Sanchez, aka “Dom R,” 31, of Palisades Park, New Jersey;
- Jocelyn Foster, aka “Jozzy,” 29, of Amsterdam, New York; and
- Mikell Butler, 34, of Schenectady, New York.
Nearly all of the defendants have been charged with offenses that carry a minimum term of 10 years and up to life in prison. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statutes the defendant is convicted of violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
The charges in the complaint are merely accusations. Each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The NYSP, the DEA’s Capital District Drug Enforcement Task Force, and the FBI’s Capital District Safe Streets Gang Task Force are investigating this case, with assistance from Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Sullivan County District Attorney’s Office, the Sheriff’s Offices in Fulton and Montgomery Counties, and the Police Departments in Colonie, Elmira, Gloversville, Johnstown, Niskayuna, Schenectady, and Amsterdam. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cyrus P.W. Rieck, Katherine Kopita and Nicholas Walter are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.