East Harlem Drug Bust: 16 Indicted For Narcotics Trafficking At Jefferson Houses, DA Says

EAST HARLEM, NY — Sixteen members of a trafficking ring operating in and around East Harlem's Jefferson Houses — a multi-block public housing development covering East 112th to 115th streets between First and Third avenues — are facing charges, prosecutors told Patch.

Brian Artis, 37, Donte Austin, 28, Day Bryant, 42, Sammy Caban, 28, Nelson Conrad, 30, Vance Crichlow, 23, Keith Hernandez, 32, Rashawn Jenkins, 23, Jose Lebron, 29, Paulette Massard, 47, Jose Matos, 30, Wyron Morris, 32, Donovan Quinones, 22, Shahieme Smith, 27, Isaac Soler, 26 and Sean Williams, 29, were each indicted Friday on counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance announced.

"Where money and drugs change hands, violence often follows,” Vance said in a statement. "As alleged in the indictment, the defendants are charged with trafficking and selling narcotics in a community that is disproportionately affected by crime. All New Yorkers deserve to feel safe at home and free from danger while going about their lives.”

The sixteen men sold undercover cops drugs on at least 37 occasions between August 2016 and April 2017, prosecutors said. The drug ring mainly trafficked crack cocaine but were known to sell heroine, fentanyl and marijuana on occasion, prosecutors said. (For more Harlem news sign up for Patch's free daily newsletter and real-time news alerts.)

The nearly year-long investigation was handled by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office’s Violent Criminal Enterprises Unit and NYPD Narcotics Borough Manhattan North Major Case Unit. Prosecutors said the investigation was launched due to complaints about narcotics trafficking and violent crime in the community.

"Drug trafficking in East Harlem has been significantly disrupted with the arrest of these defendants," NYPD Commissioner James P. O’Neill said in a statement. "Thanks to the NYPD detectives and prosecutors at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office whose work led to this indictment."

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