30 Indicted In Massive Suffolk Drug Trafficking, Gang Takedown: DA

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY —A crackdown on drug trafficking and gangs in Suffolk County led to the indictment Wednesday of 30 individuals — and the seizure of more than two kilograms of cocaine, one kilogram of fentanyl, illegal firearms, an assault rifle and a high-capacity ammunition feeding device, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said.

Tierney said three indictments chargged 30 defendants following long-term joint investigations into narcotics trafficking throughout Suffolk County.

The investigations involved the execution of more than 100 search warrants into cellular telephones, residences, vehicles, and other digital sources of data, Tierney said. The execution of those warrants, coupled with thousands of hours of electronic and video surveillance, uncovered three separate operations, two of which were led by alleged Blood gang members Dushane Telfer, 30, of North Amityville, Paris Parks, 31, of Greenport, and Gabriel Fernandez, of West Babylon, an alleged member of the Trinitarios street gang, Tierney said.

The alleged drug dealing operations all centered around the distribution of fentanyl, cocaine, and cocaine mixed with fentanyl, and spanned from the eastern Suffolk County towns of Southold, Riverhead and Southampton, throughout western Suffolk County all the way into New York City, the DA said.

The indictments

The long-term investigations culminated in three indictments charging a total of 30 defendants with 132 charges including long-term conspiracies to distribute narcotics, the sale and possession of narcotics, money laundering, and the possession of multiple illegal firearms, Tierney said.

People v. Dushane Telfer et. al.

According to the investigation, from February 17, 2023 through June 11, 2023, Omar Telfer,
Oshane Perkins, Omary Reynoso and co-defendants reportedly conducted a large-scale fentanyl and cocaine trafficking operation spanning from the East End of Suffolk County to Queens.

Over the course of the investigation, more 763 grams of fentanyl and 585 grams of cocaine were recovered from the illicit sales and possession of fentanyl and cocaine by the defendants, Tierney said.

That includes sales to individuals and agent buys, as well as narcotics allegedly recovered during search warrants executed at the residences of Telfer, Perkins, and Reynoso, he said.

Through the execution of the search warrants, members of law enforcement also recovered A-1 felony weight fentanyl and cocaine from the North Amityville residence of Telfer, Perkins and co-defendant Devante Pearson, Tierney said. In addition to the narcotics, four loaded illegal firearms, including an assault weapon and a large capacity feeding device, were recovered from that residence, the DA said.

On February 17, 2023, Telfer and Perkins allegedly sold a quantity of drugs to Michelle Tomitz, 30, which caused her death, Tierney said. Tomitz was discovered unresponsive the next morning after the reported sale, he said.

The autopsy report revealed the presence of fentanyl, cocaine and xylazine in Tomitz’s system at the time of her death; Tomitz is survived by her parents and a six-year-old daughter, Tierney said.

Xylazine, also known as "tranq," is a drug that is a powerful tranquilizer used by veterinarians to relax or sedate large animals, he said.

Xylazine has recently been found in the Long Island and New York City drug supply, and is used together with fentanyl to prolong the effects of fentanyl, Tierney said.

According to the DEA, xylazine and fentanyl drug mixtures place users at a higher risk of suffering a fatal drug poisoning, Tierney said. Xylazine is only approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a veterinary medicine to sedate and relieve pain in large animals such as horse; in humans, xylazine is known to depress breathing and heart rate, lower blood pressure, and cause unconsciousness, necrosis, and even death, Tierney said.

Because xylazine is not an opioid, naloxone, or Narcan, does not reverse its effects, Tierney said. Still, experts always recommend administering naloxone if someone might be suffering a drug overdose. People who inject drug mixtures containing xylazine also can develop severe wounds, including necrosis — the rotting of human tissue — that may lead to amputation, the DA said, adding that although a number of states have added xylazine to their lists of controlled substances, xylazine is not yet considered a controlled substance in New York State.

People v. Gabriel Fernandez et. al.

The investigation also uncovered a large-scale cocaine trafficking operation allegedly conducted
by Gabriel Fernandez, Lusbin Antonio Hernandez-Garcia, a 34-year-old Riverhead resident, and other co-defendants from March 2022 through July 2023, Tierney said. The operation spanned both the western and eastern portions of Suffolk County. Fernandez allegedly supplied Hernandez-Garcia with cocaine, which Hernandez-Garcia and co-conspirators sold primarily in the Riverhead area, Tierney said.

Over the course of a six-month period, Hernandez-Garcia allegedly sold narcotics to an undercover police officer on eight occasions, the DA said. Two of the eight transactions involved A-2 felony weight cocaine, he added. The narcotics recovered from these transactions, as well as search warrants executed at Fernandez's West Babylon residence, yielded over 600 grams of cocaine, including A-1 felony weight cocaine recovered from his residence, the DA said.

Fernandez was also charged with two counts of money laundering, Tierney said. During the course of the investigation, it was revealed that Fernandez allegedly accepted payments for illicit narcotics from customers through money transfer apps such as Zelle and used the money, under the guise that funds were legitimate, to pay for his living expenses, the DA said.

People v. Paris Parks et. al.

Finally, the investigation uncovered that between February 14, 2023 through July 27, 2023, Parks and his co-conspirators conspired to sell large-scale amounts of cocaine and
fentanyl throughout Suffolk County, Tierney said.

Over the course of those six months, Parks and codefendants Demetrius Glover, Matthew Shea, Darien Daves, and Theodore Elliby allegedly sold both A-1 and A-2 felony weight cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl to undercover police officers, Tierney said. The amount of narcotics dealt during these sales were priced at a range of $3,500 to $10,000 per transaction, and Parks allegedly discussed having access to more narcotics, the DA said.

Parks was charged by the indictment with selling A-1 felony weight narcotics, including fentanyl and cocaine, on nine different occasions, Tierney said. Elliby was charged in three of those sales, all of which were A-1 felony weight narcotics, Tierney said.

Daves was also charged with two A-1 felony sales, and Glover and Shea were charged with one A-1 felony sale each, Tierney said. Timothy Busso and Taylor West were also charged for their roles in allegedly conspiring and facilitating the sales, Tierney said.

In addition to the charges resulting from the sales, Elliby and Maria Calderon were both
charged with possession of cocaine and fentanyl found in their residence during a search
by law enforcement on July 27, Tierney said.

All of the 30 defendants were arrested and six have been arraigned before Judge Steven
Pilewski; 10 more were scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday, Tierney said. The remaining
defendants are pending arraignment, the DA said.

Of the 30 defendants, 10 are charged with bail eligible offenses, including three who are charged with weapons offenses, Tierney said. Of those 10 bail eligible defendants, seven are in custody, and one has posted bond; the remaining 20 defendants are not bail eligible, Tierney said.

Indicted defendants

- Dushane Telfer, 30, of North Amityville, faces a top count of first-degree criminal possession of
a controlled substance, and up to 24 years’ incarceration, Tierney said. Telfer is bail
eligible and is presently incarcerated on $1,000,000 cash, $2,000,000 insurance company
bond or $3,000,000 partially secured bond, Tierney said. He is represented by Jonathan Manley, who was not immediately available for comment.

- Oshane Perkins, 29, of North Amityville, faces a top count of first-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, and up to 24 years’ incarceration, Tierney said. Perkins is bail eligible and is presently incarcerated on $750,000 cash, $1,500,000 million insurance company bond, $3,000,000 partially secured bond. Perkins is represented by Michael Alber.

Perkins entered a plea of not guilty, Alber said. "From our perspective, a proper vetting of facts and circumstances need to be done in this case — a proper vetting of the evidence and lack of evidence in the case needs to be more carefully evaluated. An open-minded person that doesn't rush to judgement, we're conifdent will come to the conclusion that Mr. Perkins is not involved with what the government has accused him of."

- Devante Pearson, 26, of North Amityville, faces top counts of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, and up to 15 years’ incarceration, the DA said. Pearson is bail eligible and has bond. Pearson is represented by Michael Elbert, who was not immediately available for comment.

- Omar Reynoso, 36 of Woodside, Queens, faces a top count of third-degree criminal controlled substance and up to 12 years’ incarceration, Tierney said. Reynoso is not bail eligible and is presently placed on supervised release. Reynoso is represented by Jonathan Manley, who was not immediately available for comment.

— Shamar Weir, 27, of Shirley, faces a top count of third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance for possessing fentanyl, and faces up to 9 years’ incarceration, Tierney said. Weir is not bail eligible and is presently placed on supervised release, he added. Weir is represented by Robert
Macedonio, who was not immediately available for comment.

- Keyth Jeffers, 35, of Bohemia, faces a top count of second-degree conspiracy and up to 9 to 25 years’ incarceration, Tierney said. Jeffers is not bail eligible and is not in custody. An attorney for Jeffers could not immediately be reached.

- Travis Austin, 29 of Islip, faces a top count of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance for possessing fentanyl, and up to 12 years’ incarceration, Tierney said. Austin is not bail eligible and is not in custody. Austin is represented by Robert Macedonio, who was not immediately availale for comment.

- James Johnsen, 35, of Holbrook, faces a top count of second-degree conspiracy and up to 8 1/3 to 25 years’ incarceration, Tierney said. Johnson is not bail eligible and is not in custody. Johnsen is represented by the Legal Aid Society of Suffolk County.

- Stephen Warren, 60, of Shirley, faces a top count of second-degree conspiracy and up to 9 to 25 years’ incarceration, Tierney said. Warren is currently in custody on remand status after being arrested on an unrelated case while at liberty on the matter. Warren is represented by the Legal Aid Society of Suffolk County.

- Joseph Yengel, 57, of Holbrook, faces a top count of second-degree conspiracy and up to 8 1/3 to 25 years’ incarceration, Tierney said. Yengel is not bail eligible and is not in custody. Yangel is represented by the Legal Aid Society of Suffolk County.

- Gabriel Fernandez, 33, of West Babylon, faces a top count of first-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and up to 20 years’ incarceration, Tierney said. Fernandez is presently incarcerated with bail set at $750,000 cash, $1,500,000 insurance company bond, or $3,000,000 partially secured bond. Fernandez is represented by Michael Brown, who was not immediately available for comment.

- Lusbin Antonio Hernandez-Garcia, AKA “Jairo”, 34, of Riverhead, faces a top count of second-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and up to 10 years’ incarceration., Tierney said.Hernandez-Garcia is not bail eligible and is not in custody. HernandezGarcia is represented by Colin Astarita, who was not immediately available for comment.

- Edwin Mazariegos-Manchame, AKA “Gordo”, 21, of Riverhead, faces a top count of second-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and up to 10 years’ incarceration, Tierney said. Mazariegos-Manchame is not bail eligible was scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday.

- Nora Manchame-Orellana, 40, of Riverhead, faces a top count of second-degree conspiracy and up to 8 1/3 to 25 years’ incarceration, Tierney said. Manchame-Orellana is not bail eligible and was scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday.

- Dilan Monroy-Suret, 43, of Riverhead, faces a top count of second-degree conspiracy and up to 8 1/3 to 25 years’ incarceration, Tierney said. Monroy-Suret is not bail eligible and was scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday.

- Edgar Ochoa-Avila, 35, of Orient, faces a top count of second-degree conspiracy and up to 8 1/3 to 25 years of incarceration, Tierney said. Ochoa-Avila is not bail eligible and was scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday.

- Luis Torres-Dalmasi, 61, of Riverhead, faces a top count of second-degree conspiracy and up to 8 1/3 to 25 years’ incarceration, Tierney said. Torrres-Dalmasi is not bail eligible and was scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday.

- Juan Puluc-Chamale, 39, of Southampton, faces a top count of second-degree conspiracy and up to 8 1/3 to 25 years’ incarceration, Tierney said. Puluc-Chamale is not bail eligible and was scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday.

- Elder Jeronimo-Ordonez, 32, of Southampton, faces a top count of second-degree conspiracy and up to 8 1/3 to 25 years’ incarceration, Tierney said. Jeronimo-Ordonez is not bail eligible and was scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday.

- Marvin Chavez, 42, of Huntington Station, faces a top count of second-degree conspiracy and up to 8 1/3 to 25 years’ incarceration, Tierney said. Chavez is not bail eligible and is not in custody. Chavez is represented by the Legal Aid Society of Suffolk County.

- Alfri Marine, 36, of West Babylon, faces a top count of second-degree conspiracy and up to 8 1/3 to 25 years’ incarceration, Tierney said. Marine is not bail eligible and was scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday.

- Brian Weslek, 42, of Shelter Island, faces a top count of fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and up to 4 years’ incarceration, Tierney said. Weslek is not bail eligible and is not in custody. Weslek is represented by Austin Manghan, who could not immediately be reached for comment.

- Paris Parks, 31, of Greenport, faces a top count of first-degree criminal Sale of a controlled substance and up to 20 years’ incarceration, Tierney said. Parks is bail eligible and is currently incarcerated on $1,000,000 cash, $2,500,000 insurance company bond or $10,000,000 partially secured bond. Parks is represented by Robert Macedonio, who was not immediately available for comment.

- Theodore Elliby, 26, of Yaphank, faces a top count of first-degree criminal sale of a controlled substanc and up to 20 years’ incarceration, Tierney said. Elliby is bail eligible and is currently incarcerated on $500,000 cash, $1,000,000 insurance company bond or $2,500,000 partially secured bond. Elliby is represented by Keith O’Halloran, who was unable to comment.

- Demetrius Glover, 27, of Shirley, faces a top count of first-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and up to 20 years’ incarceration, Tierney said. Glover is bail eligible but is currently placed on supervised release. Glover is represented by Anthony Scheller. "Mr. Glover is innocent," Scheller said. "All he did was give a ride to someone who asked him. That's going to be shown, hopefully, through the evidence."

- Darien Daves, 29, of Coram, faces a top count of first-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, and up to 20 years’ incarceration, Tierney said. Daves is bail eligible and is currently incarcerated on $175,000 cash, $350,000 insurance company bond or $1,500,000 partially secured bond. Daves is represented by Christopher Brocato, who was not immediately available for comment.

- Matthew Shea, 49, of Miller Place, faces a top count of first-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, and up to 20 years’ incarceration, Tierney said. Shea is bail eligible but is currently placed on supervised release. Shea is represented by Michael Brown, who was not immediately available for. comment.

- Timothy Busso, 26, of Southold, faces a top count of second-degree conspiracy and up to 8 1/3 to 25 years’ incarceration, Tierney said. Busso is not bail eligible and is not in custody. Busso is represented by Lane Bubka, who was not immediately available for comment.

- Taylor West, 31, of Virginia Beach, Virginia, faces a top count of second-degree conspiracy and up to 8 1/3 to 25 years’ incarceration, Tierney said. West is not bail eligible and was scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday.

- Maria Calderon, 28, of Yaphank, faces a top count of second-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and up to 10 years’ incarceration, Tierney said. Calderon is not bail eligible and is not in custody. Calderon is represented by Christopher Cassar, who could not immediately be reached for comment.

"Along with our law enforcement partners, we undertook a comprehensive investigation into whowas dealing deadly drugs in Suffolk County," Tierney said. "We discovered three alleged drug distribution networks and set about to dismantle them. These indictments should send a message to those flooding the streets of Suffolk County with dangerous drugs that we will use every investigative tool in our toolbox to stop the flow of these drugs onto our streets."