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35 Indicted In Washington Heights Cocaine And Heroin Busts
By
Nathan Tempey
Published Jun 25, 2015
Modified Jun 25, 2015
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By
Nathan Tempey
Published Jun 25, 2015
Modified Jun 25, 2015
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Police have indicted nearly three dozen suspects from two alleged drug rings in Washington Heights, one a cocaine delivery service, and another a crack and heroin-selling operation run out of apartment lobbies and basement staircases, and on sidewalks. The open-air drug sales were allegedly overseen by the notorious Trinitarios, a Dominican gang that formed on Rikers Island and now has an international presence. Cops accuse Edickson "Gordo" Garcia, Melvin Beltre, and Garis Retances of managing the product and overseeing 18 suspected street-level dealers who allegedly did much of their work near W. 177th Street and Audubon Avenue, a half-block from PS 115.
The group allegedly did most of its business selling crack, but during the course of the year and a half investigation, suspects allegedly provided customers with heroin samples, got them hooked, and began offering smack on a regular basis as well. A second distribution area, allegedly overseen by Garcia and four other suspects, operated on Audubon between 178th and 179th streets, prosecutors said.
In a separate indictment, also announced today, 11 suspects allegedly did $75,000 in delivery orders of powder cocaine over the course of six months. Twenty-nine-year-old Roberto Garcia is accused of supervising the ring, operated out of a St. Nicholas Avenue apartment, with his aunt Nancy Garcia Mustafa, 53. The nine others allegedly operated 24 hours a day, working in shifts to take phone orders and pack and deliver the drugs, usually outside of restaurants or bakeries in the area, according to prosecutors.
Thirty-two of the 35 indicted have been arrested. Roberto Garcia and his aunt are facing kingpin charges, which carry a minimum sentence of 15 years to life in prison, along with other felony charges. Edickson Garcia is facing 33 felonies. All of these people are in a lot of trouble.
Tagged
cocaine
crack
drug bust
drug delivery
heroin
manhattan district attorney's office
nypd
open-air drug market
trinitarios
Washington Heights
Nathan Tempey
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