Adam Colver From: Sent: To: Subject: New York Attorney General Press Office [nysattorneygeneral@public.govdelivery.com] Tuesday, October 23, 2018 12:22 PM Adam Colver A.G. UNDERWOOD ANNOUNCES TAKEDOWN OF 30-PERSON COCAINE TRAFFICKING RING IN SARATOGA AND WARREN COUNTIES News from the New York Attorney General's Office FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 23, 2018 Attorney General's Office Press Office / 212-416-8060 nyag.pressoffice@ag.ny.gov A.G. UNDERWOOD ANNOUNCES TAKEDOWN OF 30PERSON COCAINE TRAFFICKING RING IN SARATOGA AND WARREN COUNTIES Multi-Agency Crackdown Leads to Indictment Charging Defendants with Trafficking Cocaine, Heroin, and Illegal Prescription Drugs Across Capital Region Takedown is Latest in AG’s SURGE Initiative to Crack Down on Heroin and Opioid Traffickers in Suburban and Upstate New York SARATOGA – Attorney General Barbara D. Underwood today announced the arrests and 205count indictment charging 30 defendants with trafficking cocaine, as well as heroin and illegal prescription medication, in Saratoga and Warren Counties and across the Capital Region. Today’s takedown is the latest in the Attorney General’s SURGE Initiative (Suburban and Upstate Response to the Growing Epidemic) to root out violent drug trafficking; since launching in 2017, SURGE has taken 345 alleged traffickers off the streets. As part of an operation, code-named Operation “Off Broadway,” state and local law enforcement agents led by the New York State Attorney General's Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF), in partnership with the Schenectady County Sheriff’s Office, the Warren County Sheriff’s Office, the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office, the City of Albany Police Department, and the Glens Falls Police Department, concluded a thirteen-month investigation into a drug network that was operating across the region. “As we allege, this trafficking ring flooded the Capital Region with cocaine and other drugs – fueling the addiction cycle that has ravaged communities across our state,” said Attorney General Underwood. “We will continue to work with our partners in law enforcement to cut off the flow of opioids and other drugs into our communities and drive traffickers like these out of business, part of our multi-levered approach to tackling New York’s evolving epidemic.” As alleged in the indictment, Albany-based cocaine traffickers Tremel “Skinny” Rosario and Matthew “J” Malu partnered to set up a cocaine distribution operation in Saratoga and Warren Counties and across the Capital Region. Rosario and Malu were captured over wiretaps as they allegedly set up shop, using “workers” to peddle their cocaine, heroin, and illegal prescription 1 drugs, and running additional drugs up from Albany themselves or via a hired drug “mule” whenever the “workers” were running low on product. The Attorney General’s 205-count indictment was unsealed today in Saratoga County Court and charges the following 30 people with different crimes in relation to their involvement in the narcotics trafficking operation, including various Criminal Sale and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance (class A, B, C, D felonies) crimes and Conspiracy in the Second degree (class B felony): Allen, Robert, 49 years old – Queensbury, NY Baker, Jessica, 37 years old – South Glens Falls, NY Brown, Tara, 45 years old – Queensbury, NY Connolly, Colleen, a/k/a Colleen Syman, 45 years old – Lake Luzern, NY Cox, Angela, 41 years old – Schenectady, NY Creel, Rashaun, a/k/a “Broadway,” 36 years old – Schenectady, NY Duprey, James, 52 years old – Queensbury, NY Frasier, Shane, 44 years old – Glens Falls, NY French, Vanessa, 49 years old – Glens Falls, NY Graham, Vanessa, 36 years old – Gansevoort, NY Grovenburg, Melvina, a/k/a “Mel,” 49 years old – Glens Falls, NY Lathrop, Steven, 35 years old – Hudson Falls, NY Layman, Donald, 72 years old – Glens Falls, NY Lee, Edward, a/k/a “Eddie,” 45 years old – Glens Falls, NY Malu, Matthew, a/k/a “J,” a/k/a “Capo,” 30 years old – Albany, NY Miller, Jamel, 38 years old – Schenectady, NY Monahan, Elizabeth, a/k/a “Beth,” 24 years old – Hudson Falls, NY Nichols, Jessica, 37 years old – Fort Edward, NY O’Keefe, Patrick, 42 years old – Queensbury, NY Passino, Renee, 31 years old – South Glens Falls, NY Pearson, Jamel, a/k/a “James,” 21 years old – Albany, NY 2 Perry, Brenda, 49 years old – Glens Falls, NY Pierre, Hardley, 29 years old – Schenectady, NY Reid, Tara, 35 years old – Queensbury, NY Rosario, Tremel, a/k/a “Skinny,” 36 years old – Albany, NY Russo, Laura, 50 years old – Schenectady, NY Sambola, Mana, a/k/a Mana Sambole, a/k/a “Mike,” 36 years old – South Glens Falls, NY Schwartfigure, Kimberly, 42 years old – Glens Falls, NY Tai, Mark, a/k/a “Juan,” 31 years old – Schenectady, NY Torchetti, Nicholas, 47 years old – Queensbury, NY The charges against the defendants are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. The charges contained in the indictment are the result of a joint investigation by the Attorney General’s OCTF, the Schenectady County Sheriff’s Office, the Warren County Sheriff’s Office, the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office, the City of Albany Police Department, the Glens Falls Police Department, the United States Office of Probation and Pre-Trial Services, The City of Watervliet Police Department and the NY National Guard Counterdrug Task Force. The investigation was directed by OAG OCTF Special Investigator Jonathon Molik under the supervision of OCTF Senior Investigator John Monte, and Deputy Chief Investigator Gene Black, under the supervision of Chief Dominick Zarrella, as well as Schenectady County Sheriff’s Investigator Robert Kennedy, under the supervision of Schenectady County Sheriff Dominic Dagostino. The case is being prosecuted by OAG OCTF Assistant Deputy Attorney General Michael A. Sharpe, under the supervision of Deputy Bureau Chief Maria Moran. Nicole Keary is the Deputy Attorney General in charge of OCTF. Margaret Garnett is the Executive Deputy Attorney General for Criminal Justice. ### Right-click here to download pictures. To help p ro tect y our priv acy , Outlook prev ented automatic download of this pictu re from the Internet. State of New York A ttorney General Rightclick here to downl oad picture s. To help protec Rig htclick her e to dow nloa d pict ures Rig htclick her e to dow nloa d pict ures Rig htclick her e to dow nloa d pict ures Rig htclick her e to dow nloa d pict ures Right-click here to download pictures. To help protect y our priv acy , Outlook prev ented au tomatic download of this picture from the Internet. 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