By KEITH GRANT
Lake and his two brothers, Alphonse and Sylvester, all pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute and the distribution of marijuana and cocaine. They made the admissions in U.S. District Court in Central Islip just as their trials were getting set to begin, bringing a successful end to a 5-year-old investigation.
Lonnie Lake, 43, faces a mandatory 20 years to life in prison when he is sentenced on July 18. His brothers face between five and 40 years behind bars, and each of the three could be fined up to $2 million.
"This was a very long process, but very rewarding," Long Beach Police Commissioner John Laffey said. "This is something the public should view as what we'll do [to fight drugs]."
A dozen members of six different law-enforcement agencies joined Laffey in celebrating the convictions at a press conference in his office on Friday, March 21. During its elaborate investigation, the LBPD earned the cooperation of the Nassau County Police narcotics division, the county District Attorney's office, the U.S. Attorney's Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Internal Revenue Service.
The joint investigation, which began in 1998, led to Long Beach's biggest drug bust ever. When heavily armed police moved in on four homes -- three in Long Beach and one in Freeport -- on Jan. 7, 1999, they came away with several loaded weapons, a dozen trained attack dogs, a large quantity of cocaine and a whopping 165 hydroponically grown marijuana plants. The plants -- some of which stood nearly six feet tall -- weighed about 100 pounds and were valued at more than $800,000.
"That was the highest seizure we've ever made," said LBPD Lt. Vincent Buscemi, who was then a detective sergeant working the case undercover.
Arrested were Lonnie and Alphonse Lake, now 42, of Freeport, along with Elister McRay, Jennifer Barisano and Dominic Donovan, all of Long Beach. McRay was described at the time as a one-time candidate for school board and had once applied to be executive director of the Long Beach MLK Center. All five were hit with drug and weapons possessions charges.
While out on bail, the Lake brothers were nailed again in June of 2001, along with their brother Sylvester, 40, of Hempstead. This time the charges were federal, meaning the convicted threesome have no chance of parole.
In addition, civil forfeiture proceedings are expected to bring about $200,000 to the LBPD for local law-enforcement efforts. "We'll be using their money against them," said Lt. Michael Tangney, the department's executive officer.
The busted drug operation had been in business since the mid 1980s, said police, whose efforts involved the use of confidential informants, surveillance, wire taps and undercover drug buys.
Laffey was grateful for the cooperative efforts that led to the arrests and convictions. "We could not have completed this investigation without their help," he said. "This is a significant conviction."
Grace Cucchissi, assistant district sttorney, said, "This clearly was a joint effort. Long Beach brought it to our office, and we worked closely with their office throughout the case."
Despite his elation, Laffey was also cautious about what the convictions would mean on the streets. "It doesn't do anything to lesson the demand [for drugs]. While we take one dealer down, others will try to take his place. The drug war is a never-ending battle."
The initial investigation, however, has already led to 15 other arrests. In addition to their colleagues, police credited local residents with helping to break up the Lake brothers' operation.
"The residents of this city stepped up and provided essential information that assisted us in this investigation," said LBPD Det. James Canner. "The community was very instrumental in taking down the Lake brothers' enterprise."
