By Mark Hallum
An alleged heroin network spanning parts of Queens and Suffolk County was busted up by Long Island law enforcement and the DEA, Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota announced.
The Suffolk DA deemed the operation a victory for law enforcement, which executed search warrants across the two counties and confiscated about $125,000 in cash.
Three firearms, including one which had the serial number filed off, a kilo of heroin, 90 grams of crack, 195 grams of marijuana and a small fleet of vehicles were also seized, Spota said.
The accused ringleader, Jackson Heights resident Oswaldo Alfaro, 35, has been charged — alongside 13 others, including two other men from Queens — on trafficking and conspiracy counts, according to the DA. All 13 defendants have pleaded guilty, Spota said.
“Oswald Alfaro personally delivered 240 bags of heroin to 24 Windsor Place in Central Ilsip and to the Brentwood at 55 Bushwick Ave. an average of every three days,” Spota said. “Alfaro collected approximately $12,000 in cash for these deliveries, and strictly supervised his network of runners, who would resell the narcotics to users from 8 in the morning to midnight every day.”
Juan Montoya, 27, of Elmhurst, was arraigned on a conspiracy charge as a supplier alongside the alleged primary supplier of cocaine, Giovani Delarosa, 27, who lives in Little Neck, the DA said.
Spota added that Alfaro “pushed his resellers in a way we have not previously seen and chastised his employees if sales were down. Alfaro took inventory of his product and his cash at the end of every day.”
Drug Enforcement Agency Special Agent James Hunt pointed out the defendants were dangerous criminals, but aside from the firearms found, he did not provide details.
“The Suffolk County Police Department and the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office deserve credit for initiating this investigation into a significant and violent drug trafficking ring,” Hunt said. “As a result of federal and local law enforcement working together, the entire drug network was shut down and will no longer be a heroin source of supply enabling addicts and overdoses.”
The narcotics allegedly supplied from Montoya and Delarosa were supposedly distributed by Alfaro’s people across Bohemia, Islip Terrace, Oakdale, Smithtown and Ronkonkoma, the DA said.
Some of the vehicles found by police included an Aston Martin, a BMW and a Mercedes Benz, the DA said.
Law enforcement raids took place in Elmhurst, Corona, Jackson Heights and Little Neck, the DA said.
Reach reporter Mark Hallum by e-mail at mhall
