Crime Watch

Massive heroin and cocaine ring busted

Thirty-one people charged, including ringleaders

Posted

This story was updated on Thursday, July 14 at 6 p.m.

Thirty-one people, including suspects from West Hempstead, Valley Stream and Elmont, were indicted on July 14 in one of Nassau County’s largest drug busts in history, according to District Attorney Madeline Singas.

“None of these people arrested today are what we consider low-level drug dealers, nor are they dealing drugs to feed their own habits,” Singas said. “They are all profiteers and sit atop their own narcotics pyramid, with their own geographic areas.”

Officials said that five major suppliers were arrested who allegedly sold between $2 and $3 million worth of cocaine and heroin in the last four months. Those five suppliers are being charged with felonies that carry sentences of 15 years to life in prison.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, in conjunction with its Long Island gang task force, began making the arrests and issuing search warrants at 6 a.m. on July 14 across Nassau and Suffolk counties after a nine-month investigation involving 12 different agencies. Singas said the investigation is ongoing, and that more arrests and charges are expected.

The task force began looking into local heroin distributors, Singas said, starting with brothers Donnel Hoyes, 35, and Terrence Hoyes, 29, both of Hempstead.

She said that Terrence allegedly dealt the drugs out of his Hempstead apartment on Gladys Avenue, which he shared with his girlfriend and their five children.

“My office became involved in January, and surveillance of the drug ring increased as more information was gathered,” Singas said. “Using electronic surveillance, street-level surveillance, targeted vehicle stops, controlled purchases and other means, we discovered a large quantity of narcotics being distributed by a network of drug dealers here on Long Island.”

Singas said the investigation pivoted to try to discern who was supplying the Hoyes brothers with the narcotics, and discovered that David Ramis was involved in supplying a large chain of some 50 other dealers across New York State.

“What we have here are several independent drug operations that have one common thread,” Singas said. “Their main supplier is David Ramis.”

The defendants range in age from 21 to 46, and live in Uniondale, Amityville, Islandia, Valley Stream, Hempstead, Westbury, Central Islip, West Hempstead, Middle Island, Elmont, Glen Cove, Smithtown, Farmingdale and Shirley. Two defendants are being transported to Nassau County from Albany to be arraigned.

The dealers set up distribution operations throughout Long Island and upstate New York, using various methods.

Singas said that investigators believe Shamiek Porter, 24, served as a “mobile narcotics delivery service,” using a BMW 7-series and a rented Ford Focus. She said that evidence recovered at one of Porter’s Nassau County residences included packaging material, cutting agents, and other indicia of a heroin mill. Ammunition, multiple cell phones and Bloods gang paraphernalia were also discovered at his home, Singas said, and although several of the defendants have gang affiliations, investigators do not believe it was a gang operation.

According to officials, evidence suggests Ramis also conducted deliveries in a black 2014 Honda Accord, making sales out of his home and in commercial parking lots across Nassau County.

Singas said police confiscated $75,000 cash from the alleged dealers on July 14 alone. In addition, police seized three assault rifles, three handguns, more than 1 kg of cocaine, several hundred grams of heroin and several cars — at least one with a trap door for guns and narcotics.

Officials referred to the drug bust as “Operation Gram Slam,” and said that it would deliver a significant blow to the heroin crisis on Long Island.

“This started with a simple car stop … it was a car stop by a Rockville Centre police officer, and it led to a street level [marijuana] arrest,” according to Rockville Centre Police Commissioner Charles Gennario. Officials said they used information from 12 car stops to help discover the drug network.

“We will not sit idly by and allow drug dealers to operate in our towns without severe consequences,” Singas said.