Seven people were charged for trafficking large amounts of crack cocaine, fentanyl and oxycodone in the country’s largest housing development, according to United States Attorney Robert L. Capers. One of the sales also resulted in the death of mother in West Virginia.
The investigation, which included court-authorized wiretaps of two phones for nine months, found that the drug-trafficking operation based out of the Queensbridge Houses in Long Island City was responsible for the distribution of more than 280 grams of crack cocaine, 400 grams of fentanyl pills and oxycodone.
Edward Carrillo, Johnnie Monroe and a co-conspirator continued to sell the pills even after they heard that their product killed a mother in West Virginia, the criminal complaint said.
Carrillo, Monroe and the co-conspirator also are charged with the attempted armed robbery of a person they believed to be traveling from West Virginia to New York carrying more than $100,000 in drug proceeds. The drug trafficker never showed up but one of the defendants said they “would have taken him down” with their “biscuits” or gun if he did show up.
The remaining federal defendants include Terrell Carmichael, 31, of Long Island City and Michael Young, 32, of Long Island City.
The state defendants include Mohamed Saleh, 30, of Long Island City, Shamar Stallworth, 31, of Long Island City and an unnamed defendant.
“The defendants wantonly distributed large quantities of addictive narcotics into our communities, some of which proved deadly,” Capers said. “Even the death of a young mother did not stop their drug trafficking – but these arrests will.”
Capers’ office also worked with the office of Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown.
“This investigation is just the latest result of a coordinated law enforcement and prosecutorial anti-drug initiative that began soon after I took office more than 25 years ago,” he said. “Since that time, we have targeted hundreds of drug dealers operating in and around public housing developments throughout Queens and have put a significant dent in the drug trafficking which has long troubled the residents of these developments. It is imperative that we stop those who flood our streets and lure our children into lives of crime.”
If convicted, the federal defendants face maximum sentences of life and defendants Carrillo, Monroe and a co-conspirator face a minimum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment for distributing fentanyl that resulted in death.
The state defendants face up to nine years in prison if they are convicted.
