Five people were arraigned in Queens Criminal Court on drugs and weapons charges late Wednesday night, hours after the NYPD executed a search warrant at their Queens Village home and seized four firearms — including an assault rifle — and more than 4 kilograms of fentanyl-laced cocaine and heroin with a street value of more than $200,000, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. The weapons and drugs were discovered just steps away from a 10-year-old boy’s bedroom.
Ancil Hazelwood, 48, Courtney Jackson, 32, Malik Lewis, 43, Domonique Sierra, 37, and Jessica Smythe, 28, who all lived at a home on 100th Avenue in Queens Village, were arraigned before Queens Criminal Court Judge Edwin Novillo on a complaint charging them each with two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the first, second, third, fourth and fifth degrees; one count of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree; four counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree; two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree; criminally using drug paraphernalia in the second degree; and endangering the welfare of a child.
According to the charges, at approximately 4:40 a.m. on Sept. 20, police from the Queens South Detective Squad in a joint operation with 105th Precinct field intelligence officers descended on the residence at 208-08 100th Ave., in what was the culmination of a longtime investigation into both drugs and firearms. They took no chances as they entered the location, as the officers hoisted ballistic shields to guard against possible gunfire. Once inside they recovered 2,387 grams of cocaine with traces of fentanyl, 1,676 grams of heroin with traces of fentanyl, a quantity of crack cocaine, psilocybin mushrooms, and three scales containing cocaine residue. The officers also seized a Smith and Wesson .45mm pistol with six rounds of ammunition, a Taurus .9mm pistol with a large capacity ammunition-feeding device containing 22 rounds, a Taurus 410G revolver with five rounds of ammunition and a Zastava .223mm assault rifle with five rounds of ammunition that were stashed in the basement of the house.
The NYPD also recovered $1,052 in cash and six-kilo presses used to package illicit narcotics. At the time of the raid, a 10-year-old boy was asleep in the bedroom he shared with his parents, Malik Lewis and Courtney Jackson.
The five adults were taken into custody without incident. The NYPD contacted ACS and placed the youngster in the custody of a trusted individual.
“Where there are drugs and guns, there is addiction, violence and death,” Katz said. “We cannot, and will not, relent in the war against lethal illegal drugs and weapons and will hold accountable drug traffickers threatening the safety of communities.”
Judge Novillo ordered the defendants to return to court on Sept. 25. If convicted, they each face up to 30 years in prison. Following Wednesday’s joint operation, Deputy Chief Jerry O’Sullivan, the commanding officer of the Queens South Detectives Bureau, said the death of 1-year-old Nicholas Feliz Dominici days earlier after he was exposed to fentanyl at a Bronx daycare center was on the minds of the officers as they raided the Queens Village drug den.
“We take all this personally,” O’Sullivan said. “That incident that happened in the Bronx, we’re well aware of that and we’re going to continue to act.”
Additional reporting by Dean Moses.
