Attorney
General Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that “Operation Mechanics,” in
conjunction with the New York State Police, led to the seizure of cocaine,
cash, and two vehicles – a 2002 BMW and a 2002 Chevy Suburban.
In addition,
narcotics trafficking and other charges have been filed against 28 individuals (below)
accused of taking part in a drug distribution network which was funneling
cocaine through the U.S. Mail from Puerto Rico to Buffalo for sale in Erie and
Niagara Counties. It is alleged that the network was also selling illegal
prescription medications.
Those
charged in the Erie County indictment are:
● Carl
Block, 47, of West Seneca
● Daniel
Kroll, 46, of Belmont, NJ
● Dawn
Maliszewski, 41, of Buffalo
● Dennis
Matos, 27, of Buffalo
● Fleming
Shelby, 44, of Cheektowaga
● Francisco
Maymi, 45, of Buffalo
● Gayle
Lemieux, 53, of Cheektowaga
● Gregory
Keller, 60, of West Seneca
● Hector
Bocanegra, 31, of North Tonawada
● James
Offhaus, 38, of Lancaster
● James
Cramer, 44, of North Tonawanda
● Jeffrey
Brown, 35, of Cheektowaga
● Jeremy
Hall, 31, address unknown
● Joseph
Maxwell, 48, of Buffalo
● Kevin
Danieu, 46, of Derby
● Kimberly
Raymond, 39, of Buffalo
● Lorenzo
Rodriguez, 27, address unknown
● Lucy
DelValle, 52, of Buffalo
● Mark
Lorenz, 37, of West Seneca
● Matthew
Bruenn, 24, of Buffalo
● Michael
Gossling, 43, of Angola
● Narciso
Rodriguez Jr., 42, Lackawanna
● Patricia
Harding, 42, of Lackawanna
● Paul
Andrzejak, 49, of Cheektowaga
● Ronald
Steves, 44, of Buffalo
● Shirley
Lopez, 33, of Buffalo
● Stephanie
Nowak, 21, of Hamburg
● Viyakone
Phakkhonkham, 27, of Buffalo
“These arrests mark the end of an international
narcotics trafficking network that was operating in and around the City of
Buffalo,” said Attorney General Cuomo. “Through solid investigative work at all
levels of law enforcement we were able to shut down a major pipeline of drugs
into Western New York.”
New York
State Police Superintendent Harry J. Corbitt said, “This investigation is the
offshoot of a prior joint investigation, which originated from a traffic stop
made by a uniform Trooper over two years ago. As a result of the commitment of resources by the New York
State Police Community Narcotics Enforcement Team, the Attorney General’s Organized
Crime Taskforce, the City of Niagara Falls Police Dept, and other agencies,
these individuals will now face trial for their involvement in narcotics sales,
and other criminal activities, which have long impacted the residents of Erie
and Niagara Counties.”
Erie County
District Attorney Frank Sedita said, “I am proud to work with Attorney General
Cuomo’s staff and our partners in law enforcement agencies to shut down a major
drug operation in Erie County. Keeping
deadly narcotics and violent crimes away from our community are among the most
important issues facing law enforcement and public officials.”
According to
the indictment, cocaine was sent through the United States Postal Service to
supplier and defendant Jeremy Hall, via various people living in the Buffalo
area. Some of the cocaine, as well as illegal prescription medication including
Loratabs (hydrocodone), Percocets (oxycodone), and valium, were allegedly sold
out of the defendants’ homes. Additionally, some of the illicit narcotics sales
allegedly took place at several of the defendants’ places of business.
Wiretap
evidence included in the indictment shows that the defendants would discuss
their drug transactions in a cryptic and coded manner in the hope of avoiding
detection. For example, defendants
Dennis Matos and Francisco Maymi allegedly would use the phrase “getting a haircut”
to refer to meetings to obtain cocaine at “Bebe’z” at 117 Grant Street, a store
where Matos cut hair for a period of time. Similarly, because defendant Mark Lorenz’s business was
Lorenz Auto Sales, located at 466 Southside Parkway in Buffalo, Lorenz and
various co-defendants allegedly would say that there was “a car” “to look at,”
or use automobile repair terms as codes when they were discussing a cocaine
deal. Maymi allegedly would tell
other defendants that he was “playing cards at Ronnie’s” when he planned to be
distributing cocaine at the apartment of defendant Ronald Steves, at 2259 South
Park Avenue in the City of Buffalo.
Because
Lorenz Auto Sales is located within 1,000 feet of the Southside Elementary
School, the charges for some of the drug transactions alleged to have occurred
within that store carry higher offense levels, although there is no evidence
that any students or school personnel were involved or directly affected.
The 213
count indictment unsealed in Erie County Supreme Court today charges 28 people
with crimes including various Conspiracies (class B and E felonies), and
various Criminal Sale and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance (class
A,B,C,D,E felonies).
The
indictment is the culmination of a major investigation led by Attorney General
Cuomo’s OCTF and is part of his ongoing efforts to combat narcotic trafficking
and other crimes through his Upstate Guns, Gangs, and Drugs Initiative.
Since its
inception in 2007, the Attorney General’s Upstate Guns, Gangs, and Drugs
Initiative has conducted a variety of operations in cooperation with local,
state, and federal authorities, resulting in charges against more than 400
defendants and the seizures of over $3.3 million in drugs and cash, as well as
dozens of guns.
Numerous
other agencies assisted in the investigation including: City of Buffalo Police
Department, the Niagara Falls Police Department, and the Lancaster Police
Department. Attorney General Cuomo thanked and commended these agencies.
The case is
being prosecuted by OCTF Assistant Deputy Attorneys General Patricia Carrington
and Kevin Kane, under the supervision of Executive Deputy Attorney General for
Criminal Justice Robin L. Baker, and OCTF First Assistant Deputy Attorney
General Peri Alyse Kadanoff.
The charges
against the defendants are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed
innocent until and unless proven guilty.