Heroin Ring Along Route 110: Among Biggest Busts In LI History, Officials Say

Thirty-six people, including a pregnant woman and a volunteer firefighter, were indicted Tuesday for their involvement in one of the largest narcotics takedowns in Long Island history, which officials dubbed “Operation Bundle Up," authorities say.

The alleged dealers were named the “110 Crew” by investigators as their heroin-distribution ring ran along Route 110, a popular service road that travels through Nassau and Suffolk counties.

“These individuals turned Route 110 into their own personal heroin highway, ” Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas said at a press conference.

The drug operation can be linked to one fatality in Suffolk County and at least 20 non-fatal overdoses, officials say. The arrests are a result of a 9-month-long investigation into local heroin distributors.

Singas said these distributors sold heroin to hundreds of people every day in parking lots all along Route 110: outside of hotels, restaurants, strip malls, retailers and coffee shops. These dealers stood out from other dealers for the boldness of their operation, Singas said. Drug operations normally operate in the shadows and behind closed doors. The “110 Crew,” however, was “unusually flamboyant and overt in their behavior,” Singas said.

The “110 Crew” drove high-end vehicles, such as a Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Maserati and a Lamborghini when meeting their customers at all hours of the day, including the busiest hours of the day, Singas said.

“They even counted cash and measured out their products in broad daylight,” she said.

They operated as a network, oftentimes in shifts, and were able to cover a large area, allowing the dealers to allegedly collect tens of thousands of dollars each week. The DA estimates the “110 Crew” sold approximately 4,000 individual bags of heroin a week, which is worth about $40,000 to $50,000.

On Tuesday, 15 search warrants were conducted by Nassau County Police, Suffolk County Police and New York State troopers. They recovered cash, guns, cars and drugs:

• Weapons seized included an AK-47 assault rifle, three shotguns, three semi-automatic handguns, stun gun, pistol-griped rifle and assorted magazines.
• Drugs seized included 5,000 decks of heroin, crack cocaine and three ounces of cocaine.
• 18 vehicles were recovered, including a Range Rover, Porsche, Cadillac and BMW. Four had traps, and search warrants were conducted on two of them. Traps are hidden compartments within vehicles that can be used to store drugs.

Six of the 36 indicted in the 59-count indictment were charged with operating as a major trafficker, which carries a sentence of 15 years to life. Officials say the defendants come from all walks of life. Four are women, 32 are men and they range from 18 to 52 years old.

One of the alleged distributors is a woman who is 7-months pregnant, another is a volunteer firefighter, one works as a drug counselor and one serves as a celebrity correspondent who reportedly worked with Howard Stern and People Magazine, officials say.

Officials say those arrested come from places including Bellmore, Levittown, East Meadow, Bay Shore, Copiague, West Babylon, Farmingdale, East Farmingdale, Amityville, North Amityville, Massapequa, Uniondale, Babylon, East Northport, West Islip, Dix Hills, Islip Terrace and Mattituck. Some of the “110 Crew” members are from the “Neez” gang, which is a subset of the Bloods gang, officials say.

“Operation Bundle Up” was allegedly a three-tier operation with:

• Three suppliers at the top known as the “Papis.” They were 27-year-old Copaigue resident Elvin “Fling” Rosario, 28-year-old West Babylon resident Reinardo “Tito” Adames and another individual who was indicted.
• 15 distributors dubbed “The 110 Crew”
• 18 resellers who operated independently

The network allegedly stored large amounts of heroin in houses in Farmingdale, Lindenhurst, West Babylon and Bay Shore as well as a house in North Amityville that served as the main distribution center. These “Papis” acted as wholesalers and sold sleeves of heroin, which are 10 bundles or 100 individual bags, to the “110 Crew.” Officials say the operation was named “Operation Bundle Up” for the large number of heroin bundles sold every day along Route 110.

Officials say Rosario and Adames supplied large quantities of heroin and cocaine to other traffickers on Long Island. The following traffickers allegedly sold to customers across Nassau and Suffolk counties:

• Branden Harris, 27, of North Amityville, a.k.a. “Doughboy” and “Nick”
• Tashawn Combs, 27, of Copaigue, a.k.a. “Tata” and “Max”
• Herman Monroe, 27, of North Amityville, a.k.a. “Chief” and “J”
• Kenneth Nesmith, 29, of Brooklyn, a.k.a. “Nee”

The above dealers and others arrested cut, packaged and redistributed the narcotics for their own personal profit, the DA says.

Also arrested during "Operation Bundle Up" include:

• Joseph Ferguson, 29, of North Amityville, a.k.a. "Jojo"
• Damien Winbush, 34, of Massapequa, a.k.a. "Big Bank"
• Cashawn Winbush, 31, of Amityville, a.k.a. "Tre"
• Matthew Casale, 36, of Levittown
• Douglas Blachly, 28, of Dix Hills
• Theresa Detillio, 46, of West Babylon
• Irene Higgins, 36, of East Meadow

“This is the poison that fed the addiction of hundreds, or even thousands of our neighbors, friends and relatives,” Singas said.

The investigation is continuing, and officials expect more charges and arrests to be made.

More than 300 officers and investigators contributed to the takedown of “Operation Bundle Up.” The investigation was conducted by the NCDA, the Nassau County Police Department, Suffolk County Police Department, New York State Police, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office.

“Today’s arrests culminate an intense multi-jurisdictional investigation with the Long Island Heroin Task Force to eradicate drugs and those who sell them from our neighborhoods," Nassau County Police Commissioner Thomas Krumpter said.

Patch photos