Zugibe arrests 37 drug dealers, says eight are active members of North Rockland criminal street gangs

From the Rockland DA’s Office

The Rockland County DA’s Office continues its crackdown on drug dealers, announcing this week the filing of charges against 37 individuals for allegedly selling oxycodone, ecstasy, percocet and other highly-addictive pharmaceuticals, as well as heroin and cocaine, throughout Rockland County.

Eight of those arrested during the course of the probe are purported street gang members based in Haverstraw and Stony Point, the DA’s Office reports.

The 37 defendants – who range in age from 18 to 67 – are charged with selling prescription drugs, powdered and crack cocaine and heroin to undercover police officers on nearly 50 separate occasions during the past several months. The open-air drug transactions have led to more than 120 counts of criminal sale and criminal possession of controlled substances.

Alleged “Blood” gang members arrested are Anthony Nash of Haverstraw, Ronald Garcia of Garnerville, LaSean Goode, aka Bones, of Stony Point, and Joseph Caraccia of Nanuet. Alleged “Blood-9 Trey” gang members arrested are Brian Dunn of West Haverstraw and Ronald Mann Jr. of Haverstraw. Also among those arrested, Jonathan Quinones of Haverstraw is allegedly a member of the “845 Wall Street Gang,” and Pedro Cintron of West Haverstraw is reported to be a member of the “Neta Gang.”

District Attorney Thomas Zugibe said, “These arrests should serve as a warning to both drug dealers and violent criminals alike that Rockland County law enforcement, in spite of serious economic difficulties, will continue to aggressively track down those individuals who traffic in illegal and prescription drugs and seek to put them in prison for many years.”

One of the most important arrests was of 28-year-old Emmanuel Quezada of 70 Sharp Street, Apartment #2, Haverstraw, New York, a repeat violent felon and according to Zugibe, a major source of illegal narcotics for Rockland County. Zugibe alleges that Quezada sold cocaine to undercover officers on numerous occasions in 2012. His lengthy criminal record includes prior arrests for criminal sale and criminal possession of controlled substances, along with assault, robbery, sodomy, bail jumping and child endangerment.

The large-scale investigation was conducted with the assistance of the Rockland County Drug Task Force, and focused on numerous locations, including downtown areas in the villages of Suffern, Nyack and Haverstraw.

According to the charges, other drug sales took place in the Palisades Center Mall in West Nyack and at the Stony Point Motel on Route 9W in Stony Point. Three mobile home parks were also targeted for open-air drug transactions, including the Parkway Trailer Park, the Quaker Road Trailer Park and the Mazza Leone Trailer Park, all in the Town of Haverstraw.

Through traditional investigative means such as physical surveillance and search warrants, coupled with court-authorized electronic surveillance, authorities allegedly developed information that led detectives to areas known for drug selling. In addition to the arrests, officers executed court-authorized search warrants and recovered various amounts of prescription pills, cocaine, heroin and drug paraphernalia.

The defendants are variously charged with numerous counts of Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a class “B” Felony and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a class “B” Felony, each punishable by up to nine years in prison.

Rockland County Drug Task Force Director Christopher Goldrick said, “These arrests were spearheaded by the police officers assigned to the Rockland County Drug Task Force. This has been a collaborative and coordinated response to open-air drug dealing complainants by our local municipalities. The Drug Task Force, along with the Street Crime Units, Detective Bureaus and Uniform Patrol Officers will continue to dismantle open-air drug dealers and gang members that fuel all other crimes that deteriorate our communities.”

Currently, 37 individuals have been indicted and 10 have active warrants that have been forwarded to the United States Marshalls Services and the Rockland County Sheriff’s Department. Fully 35 of the indicted individuals have extensive prior criminal histories for drug selling, robbery, assault, burglary, parole violation, weapons possession, and resisting arrest.

Zugibe said the investigation continues into the reach and scope of illicit drug trafficking in Rockland County and further arrests will be made.