Great Job, Scranton PD! Multi-Million Dollar Drug Rings Broken Up! (Wilkes-Barre: transplants, attorney)

[SteelCityRising]

Law enforcement officials broke up two sophisticated, multi-million-dollar drug rings Thursday that together supplied about three-quarters of the region’s heroin.Run by members of the “Bloods” street gang in Lackawanna and Luzerne counties, the competing operations sold about 3,000 bags of heroin a week over the past eight months, netting at least $3.85 million. An investigation that began in April culminated this week in the planned arrests of more than two dozen members of the two rings, representing the largest drug probe ever conducted by the state Attorney General’s Office in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The leaders of the two networks all are originally from New York City and moved to Scranton to set up shop, officials said.

“This investigation demonstrates that gang members from New York City are moving into the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area to corner the drug market,” Attorney General Tom Corbett said. “The message we have for the gang members of New York City is clear: If you plan on setting up a drug business in Pennsylvania, also plan on going to prison for a long time.”

Joined by federal, state and local law enforcement officials, including Luzerne County District Attorney David Lupas and Scranton police Chief David Elliott, Corbett briefly outlined the web of bosses, drug runners and pushers Thursday morning during a news conference at the Serrenti Army Reserve Center in Scranton. Meanwhile, police officers and other agents swept through neighborhoods in both counties throughout the day with arrest warrants for members of the two drug operations. At least 15 people were arraigned Thursday before Magisterial District Judge Robert Russell.

A battle for customers

The two organizations competed head-to-head for customers, touting quality, price and even their own brands of heroin, such as “Red Monkey,” “Impulse” and “Southern Smoke.” Narcotics investigators got a feeling for the scope of the operations after a series of controlled buys combined with surveillance and wiretaps.

According to court papers:

One operation was run by two New York transplants living in North Scranton, Ricardo Cruz, 31, of 234 Greenbush St., and Sekou Lashley, 27, of 547 Kennedy St. Working out of a barbershop in the Bronx, N.Y., Victor Garcia served as the group’s main heroin supplier. Cruz would send Lashley to retrieve the drugs from Garcia in New York City or, in some cases, the Bronx man would deliver the goods himself using a car with hidden compartments.
Cruz, who used 230 Gaston Place as a stash house for his heroin, had help with the operation from his live-in girlfriend, Christina Cavezza, 27. The kingpin established a network of 14 drug dealers from Mayfield to Plains, including six in Scranton and one each in Dickson City, Pittston and Greenfield Township. Each cog had its own distribution network in Lackawanna and Luzerne counties. Seventeen people associated with Cruz’s operation are being charged because of this investigation.

Drugs bought across city

The second organization was led by Siburt Walter, 32, of New York City, and Jose Quintero, 23, of 114 N. Rebecca Ave., Scranton. Quintero ran the local distribution system with the help of three other local gang members and two women, Jackie Novak, 25, of 510 Marion St., and Danielle McDermott, 25, of 32 E. Frothingham St., Pittston. Ms. McDermott established her own drug trade primarily in the Pittston area, while Ms. Novak transported drugs and collected money for Quintero. Another Scranton woman, Cathy Ryzner, 43, of 103 S. Everette Ave., helped break down the heroin shipments and package them for street sales. Infiltrating both organizations, informants for the attorney general’s Bureau of Narcotics Investigation made dozens of controlled buys from the two organizations at spots across the city, from Weston Field to a gas station on North Main Avenue. In early September, narcotics agents obtained court orders to use a pen register and trap-and-trace device on cell phones used by Lashley and Quintero. The devices record the numbers of incoming and outgoing calls, but not the contents of the conversations. Lashley’s phone recorded 2,754 calls from Sept. 6 to Sept. 16, 2,300 of which were less than one minute in duration. From Sept. 19 to Sept. 29, Lashley logged 3,468 calls, almost 3,100 of which were less than one minute. Quintero logged a similar number of calls in September and October, the majority of them brief in nature.

“This large number of short duration calls is indicative of, and consistent with, high-volume drug trafficking using the telephone to arrange transactions,” the investigators noted in an affidavit.

The slew of arrests Thursday marks only the first phase of the investigation, said Corbett, adding that more are on the way.

[christina0001]

Why did I bother to go to college? I could be living high on the horse, selling heroine. lol Seriously that is very good news. Trenton, NJ is getting overrun with gang issues; surrounding areas should do everything possible to make sure it doesn't spread to their areas.

[Phish Head]

no wonder the price of my herb has gone through the roof