Rockland Man Accused of Wholesale Cocaine Conspiracy

ROCKLAND COUNTY, NY —A Haverstraw man accused of wholesaling cocaine around Rockland County was indicted Wednesday. Prosecutors allege Matthew Draper was part of a conspiracy bringing cocaine into the U.S. from the Dominican Republic on commercial airline flights.

Draper, a/k/a “Mata,” was arrested on a criminal complaint on Oct. 6, 2016, and has been in custody since then, said Joon H. Kim, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and James J. Hunt, Special Agent in Charge, New York Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration in their announcement.

According to the allegations in the Indictment, the cocaine distribution system relied on contacts working in airports both in the Dominican Republic and in the United States to facilitate the deliveries.

From around September 2016 through Oct. 5, 2016, Draper worked with a supplier in the Dominican Republic and a contact who was a confidential informant to facilitate the transport of roughly 20 kilograms of cocaine from the Dominican Republic to New York. The plan was to have the contact retrieve the cocaine and bring it to Draper.

On Oct 5, DEA agents learned from the confidential informant that those 20 kilos had been secreted in luggage, and placed on an airplane scheduled to arrive at JFK Airport. They were able to locate the airplane and the luggage in question, and recovered about 20 kilograms of cocaine that had been wrapped and sealed in a clear vacuum-sealed bag.

Draper was arrested that same day attempting to obtain the cocaine from the confidential informant at the predetermined location.

When they arrested him, prosecutors allege, agents recovered $23,000 in cash and what appeared to be an additional kilogram of cocaine from his vehicle. Agents also executed a search warrant on his home and, they allege, recovered an additional half-kilogram of a substance that appeared to be cocaine.

Draper, 49, is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute narcotics, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, and one count of possession of narcotics with intent to distribute, which also carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. The statutory maximum sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentence will be determined by the Court.

Kim praised the outstanding investigative work of the Drug Enforcement Administration. He also thanked the Rockland County Drug Task Force and the Town of Haverstraw Police Department Street Crime Unit for their cooperation and assistance in this investigation.

The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Burns, Lauren Schorr, and Christopher J. Clore are in charge of the prosecution.

The charges contained in the Indictment and Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.