Drug Traffickers Tortured Massachusetts Man For Wrongly Thinking He Snitched: Feds Drug Traffickers Tortured Massachusetts Man For Wrongly Thinking He Snitched: Feds
Drug Traffickers Tortured Massachusetts Man For Wrongly Thinking He Snitched: Feds A 39-year-old Rhode Island man who pleaded guilty to heroin trafficking charges this week also videotaped the torture of a Massachusetts man he believed to be working with federal investigators, the DEA said.  Anthony Basilici of Pawtucket pleaded guilty Wednesday in a federal court in Boston to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin, one count of possession and discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice …
Massachusetts Fugitive Had 30 Pounds Of Fentanyl In Home Next To Daycare: DEA Massachusetts Fugitive Had 30 Pounds Of Fentanyl In Home Next To Daycare: DEA
Massachusetts Fugitive Had 30 Pounds Of Fentanyl In Home Next To Daycare: DEA Federal agents arrested a 44-year-old Massachusetts fugitive from Lawrence this week in New York, where they say he was trafficking large amounts of cocaine and fentanyl.  Benito Bello, who also went by the name Zuriel Ayala Rodriguez, was arrested in the Bronx on Wednesday, Aug. 10, the DEA said. Agents said Bello had a kilo of cocaine and 14 kilos of the synthetic opioid inside the home where a minor child also lived. Next to his house was a daycare that watched children as young as six weeks old, federal agents said.  For context, 14 kilos is more than 30 pounds of th…
4 Charged, 31 Ghost Guns Seized In Multi-Agency Yonkers Bust 4 Charged, 31 Ghost Guns Seized In Multi-Agency Yonkers Bust
4 Charged, 31 Ghost Guns Seized In Multi-Agency Yonkers Bust Four people have been charged and 31 guns ghost guns seized following a multi-agency investigation into a pipeline that brought guns from Washington, DC to Westchester County. The four were charged following their arrest in June for trafficking of illegal firearms from Washington, DC to Westchester between April and June, said Westchester County District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah. In addition to the arrests, authorities seized 31 ghost guns, as well as two conventional firearms, that were being transported to Yonkers, the DA's office said. The joint investigation focused…
22-Year-Old Lynn Drug Dealer Busted With Large Pile Of Fentanyl: Police 22-Year-Old Lynn Drug Dealer Busted With Large Pile Of Fentanyl: Police
22-Year-Old Lynn Drug Dealer Busted With Large Pile Of Fentanyl: Police A multi-agency police operation a 22-year-old Lynn man this week for selling a large amount of fentanyl and other drugs, authorities said. Michael Valentin faces several charges across multiple jurisdictions following his arrest on Monday, July 25, the Revere Police Department announced. Officers said they found nearly 400 grams of the synthetic opioid fentanyl, 264 grams of cocaine, 30 grams of crack, and almost $14,000 in cash when they raided his home in Lynn.  For context, the DEA says two milligrams of fentanyl is potentially fatal depending on a person's body size and tolerance l…
Union Beach Officer Killed In Crash Was 'Rising Star' Union Beach Officer Killed In Crash Was 'Rising Star'
Union Beach Officer Killed In Crash Was 'Rising Star' The Union Beach Police Department is mourning the loss of one of its own. Detective Cpl. Timothy Kelly, Jr., 29, died in an off-duty crash, his department said. His father also served as a UBPD officer. "Kelly was a rising star in the Union Beach Police Department, having been involved in many high profile and sensitive special operations with the FBI, DEA, MCPO, and BTF," UBPD said.  He earned a Bachelors of Science Degree from the University of Alabama with a double major in History and Criminal Justice.  Details in the crash were not immediately clear.
Enough Fentanyl To Kill 3.5 Million Users Seized, Baltimore Man Busted By Bergen Detectives Enough Fentanyl To Kill 3.5 Million Users Seized, Baltimore Man Busted By Bergen Detectives
Enough Fentanyl To Kill 3.5 Million Users Seized, Baltimore Man Busted By Bergen Detectives Bergen County prosecutor’s detectives seized enough fentanyl to produce nearly 3½ million potentially fatal doses, along with enough heroin to fill more than 27,000 folds, while arresting a Baltimore man. Carlo Francisco Olivar Gomez, a 42-year-old painter by trade, was caught with more than 15 pounds of fentanyl and more than six pounds of heroin, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. According to the DEA, it takes only a single two-milligram dose of fentanyl to kill a person.  A pound of fentanyl can produce 226,796 two-milligram doses. Multiplying that by 15 pounds gives…
Hudson Valley Man Busted With Fentanyl After Three-Month Investigation, Police Say Hudson Valley Man Busted With Fentanyl After Three-Month Investigation, Police Say
Hudson Valley Man Busted With Fentanyl After Three-Month Investigation, Police Say A Hudson Valley man has been arrested for allegedly being in possession of a large quantity of fentanyl following a three-month investigation. The bust took place in the city of Poughkeepsie on Tuesday, May 17, and resulted in the arrest of Orange County resident Laquan Falls, age 26, of Newburgh. The arrest is the culmination of a three-month investigation by the Dutchess County Drug Task Force into Falls drugs sales in Dutchess, Orange, and Ulster County areas, said Det/Sergeant Adam D. Harris, coordinator of the task force. When taken into custody by task force agents Falls was in&…
Men Charged With Murder For Roles Broad Daylight Shooting In Mount Vernon Men Charged With Murder For Roles Broad Daylight Shooting In Mount Vernon
Men Charged With Murder For Roles Broad Daylight Shooting In Mount Vernon Two members of a racketeering enterprise are facing charges - including murder - for their roles in a brazen fatal daytime shooting in Westchester, federal officials announced. James Bazemore - also known as “TJ” - has been charged with murder for the April 2018 murder of Tasheen Williams in Mount Vernon, while his co-conspirator, Jared “Jay” Mujaahid is facing charges for providing him with the deadly weapon used in the act. According to the indictment, Bazemore and Mujaahid were members or associates of a racketeering enterprise known as Big Paper. “In order to fund the enterprise, prot…
Capital District Man Sentenced After Admitting To Selling Meth Capital District Man Sentenced After Admitting To Selling Meth
Capital District Man Sentenced After Admitting To Selling Meth A Capital District man will spend more than six years in federal prison after admitting to selling methamphetamine. James King, age 33, of Schenectady, was sentenced to 78 months behind bars Thursday, April 28, after pleading guilty to possessing and intending to distribute meth, the US Attorney’s Office said. King told investigators that between February and March 2021, he sold meth twice and possessed the drug with intent to distribute in March 2021, prosecutors said. Altogether, he admitted to selling more than 150 grams of meth. Once King is released from prison, he will have to compl…
Jersey Shore Man Found With Rifle, Silencer, Bogus Federal Agent Badges Takes Plea Jersey Shore Man Found With Rifle, Silencer, Bogus Federal Agent Badges Takes Plea
Jersey Shore Man Found With Rifle, Silencer, Bogus Federal Agent Badges Takes Plea A Jersey Shore man who was caught with a handful of phony federal agent IDs in his own name admitted also having a homemade rifle and a silencer. Jeffrey Backlund, 57, of Waretown, took a deal from the government rather than face trial, pleading guilty on Wednesday, April 27, to illegally possessing all of them, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. Backlund was arrested after a warranted search prompted by a domestic disturbance in September 2020 turned up “a number of firearms and imitation federal identification badges,” Sellinger said. “They found one short-barreled, AR-style, .223 …
1800 Folds Heroin, 2 Handguns, $9000, Rifle Seized In Trenton, Central Jersey Raids: Prosecutor 1800 Folds Heroin, 2 Handguns, $9000, Rifle Seized In Trenton, Central Jersey Raids: Prosecutor
1800 Folds Heroin, 2 Handguns, $9000, Rifle Seized In Trenton, Central Jersey Raids: Prosecutor A 32-year-old man from Trenton has been charged with storing and selling heroin in that city and in Central Jersey, authorities said. About 1,800 wax folds of heroin, fentanyl pills, a high-powered rifle, two handguns and $9,000 were seized during raids on two Trenton homes and a hotel in South Brunswick, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer. This cooperative, multi-agency investigation identified the two residences and the hotel room as being utilized by Aramis Wiggins, 32, of Trenton, to store and distribute heroin, Billhimer said. On April 6, warrante…
Stone Ridge Dentist Admits To Fraudulently Obtaining Oxycodone For Her Use Stone Ridge Dentist Admits To Fraudulently Obtaining Oxycodone For Her Use
Stone Ridge Dentist Admits To Fraudulently Obtaining Oxycodone For Her Use A dentist from the Hudson Valley has pleaded guilty to obtaining oxycodone for her own use. Ulster County resident Vivian Letizia, age 63, of Stone Ridge, made the plea on Friday, April 15, according to US Attorney Carla Freedman. In pleading guilty, Letizia admitted that, in December 2019, she fraudulently submitted a prescription for oxycodone for one of her dentistry patients using that patient’s name and date of birth, the US Attorney's Office said. Letizia then obtained the oxycodone from a pharmacy in Woodstock, for her own consumption. At the time Letizia submitted the prescription …