Arrests included 8 alleged members of Bloods street gang
By Alicia Cruz
Yahoo Network News Contributor
A ten-month undercover investigation, dubbed "Operation High-Rise," into narcotics activity in Rockland County, New York culminated in the pre-dawn arrests of 22 individuals, including eight alleged members of the Bloods street gang. Additional criminal charges were filed against 18 more people as a direct result of the sting operation.
According to Rockland County District Attorney Thomas Zugibe, "High-Rise" was part of an undercover narcotics investigation that spanned several towns and villages throughout the suburban county, located 15 miles northwest of Manhattan.
The investigation began in November 2010 after Rockland County Drug Task Force detectives received intelligence from neighboring Orangetown Police Department about rampant drug activity in Nyack. The Drug Task Force, along with several local law enforcement agencies, then placed undercover officers in that area to make controlled purchases.
Throughout the sting, officers were sold powdered and crack cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, percocet and oxycodone in areas such as Main Street in Pearl River, the intersection of Midland and Depew Avenues and the parking area of the Palisades Center Mall in Nyack. Detectives bought more drugs in the parking lots of the Spring Valley Marketplace, the Nanuet Pathmark Supermarket and the West Haverstraw McDonalds, said Zugibe.
At the 11:30 a.m. press conference, which took place at the Fire Training Center on Firemen’s Memorial Drive in Pomona, Zugibe said his office is committed to improving the quality of life for all Rockland County residents by pursuing investigations that lead to arrests in serious felony cases such as those produced by "Operation High-Rise."
The drug sweep is the latest in a series of large-scale, undercover investigations aimed towards ending brazen, open-air drug dealing that was consuming Rockland County. The first bust occurred in January with "Operation Deadliest Ghost" in Nyack followed by "Operation High-Tech" in Haverstraw in April. All three operations have resulted in 94 arrests.
Rockland County Drug Task Force Director Christopher Goldrick said, “Today’s crackdown is part of an ongoing campaign to stop the scourge of drug-dealing and drug-based violence in Rockland County."
Despite the number of arrests made today, Zugibe said the investigation continues and further arrests are possible.
Many of the defendants arrested and charged in the 120-count indictment were arraigned today in New City; four were presently incarcerated at the Rockland County Jail on unrelated charges.
Members of the U.S. Marshals Regional Fugitive Task Force are currently searching for four suspects not arrested this morning. Two of the suspects are reportedly in rehabilitation centers while the whereabouts of the other two remain unknown. The defendants arrested today ranged in age from 18 to 56-years-old.
A Hackensack man, identified as a major source of the illegal narcotics and pharmaceuticals, was also among those arrested today. Zugibe said 37-year-old Tyrone Gomez, of the 300 block of Prospect Avenue, allegedly sold cocaine to undercover officers on numerous separate occasions in 2011.
In addition to the Rockland County Drug Task Force, the investigation was conducted by detectives assigned to the Rockland County Intelligence Center, the Rockland County Sheriff’s Department, the Town of Orangetown Police Department Detective Bureau, the Town of Clarkstown Police Department Street Crime Unit, the Town of Haverstraw Police Department Street Crime Unit, the Village of Suffern Police Department Detective Bureau, the Town of Ramapo Police Department Detective Bureau, the New York State Police C-NET Unit, the New York State Drug Enforcement Task Force Group T-31, the United States Marshals Regional Fugitive Task Force, United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation Drug/Gang Unit and the Rockland County R.E.A.C.T. Team.
The defendants are charged with various counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance, criminal possession of a controlled substance, and conspiracy. If convicted, each could face up to nine years in prison. The individuals arrested today have been identified as:
Click here to view those arrested
According to Rockland County District Attorney Thomas Zugibe, "High-Rise" was part of an undercover narcotics investigation that spanned several towns and villages throughout the suburban county, located 15 miles northwest of Manhattan.
The investigation began in November 2010 after Rockland County Drug Task Force detectives received intelligence from neighboring Orangetown Police Department about rampant drug activity in Nyack. The Drug Task Force, along with several local law enforcement agencies, then placed undercover officers in that area to make controlled purchases.
Throughout the sting, officers were sold powdered and crack cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, percocet and oxycodone in areas such as Main Street in Pearl River, the intersection of Midland and Depew Avenues and the parking area of the Palisades Center Mall in Nyack. Detectives bought more drugs in the parking lots of the Spring Valley Marketplace, the Nanuet Pathmark Supermarket and the West Haverstraw McDonalds, said Zugibe.
At the 11:30 a.m. press conference, which took place at the Fire Training Center on Firemen’s Memorial Drive in Pomona, Zugibe said his office is committed to improving the quality of life for all Rockland County residents by pursuing investigations that lead to arrests in serious felony cases such as those produced by "Operation High-Rise."
The drug sweep is the latest in a series of large-scale, undercover investigations aimed towards ending brazen, open-air drug dealing that was consuming Rockland County. The first bust occurred in January with "Operation Deadliest Ghost" in Nyack followed by "Operation High-Tech" in Haverstraw in April. All three operations have resulted in 94 arrests.
Rockland County Drug Task Force Director Christopher Goldrick said, “Today’s crackdown is part of an ongoing campaign to stop the scourge of drug-dealing and drug-based violence in Rockland County."
Despite the number of arrests made today, Zugibe said the investigation continues and further arrests are possible.
Many of the defendants arrested and charged in the 120-count indictment were arraigned today in New City; four were presently incarcerated at the Rockland County Jail on unrelated charges.
Members of the U.S. Marshals Regional Fugitive Task Force are currently searching for four suspects not arrested this morning. Two of the suspects are reportedly in rehabilitation centers while the whereabouts of the other two remain unknown. The defendants arrested today ranged in age from 18 to 56-years-old.
A Hackensack man, identified as a major source of the illegal narcotics and pharmaceuticals, was also among those arrested today. Zugibe said 37-year-old Tyrone Gomez, of the 300 block of Prospect Avenue, allegedly sold cocaine to undercover officers on numerous separate occasions in 2011.
In addition to the Rockland County Drug Task Force, the investigation was conducted by detectives assigned to the Rockland County Intelligence Center, the Rockland County Sheriff’s Department, the Town of Orangetown Police Department Detective Bureau, the Town of Clarkstown Police Department Street Crime Unit, the Town of Haverstraw Police Department Street Crime Unit, the Village of Suffern Police Department Detective Bureau, the Town of Ramapo Police Department Detective Bureau, the New York State Police C-NET Unit, the New York State Drug Enforcement Task Force Group T-31, the United States Marshals Regional Fugitive Task Force, United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation Drug/Gang Unit and the Rockland County R.E.A.C.T. Team.
The defendants are charged with various counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance, criminal possession of a controlled substance, and conspiracy. If convicted, each could face up to nine years in prison. The individuals arrested today have been identified as:
Click here to view those arrested
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