Biggest heroin bust ever in area
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VERA CHINESE PHOTO
Some of the money recovered during a heroin bust that targeted eight homes and netted 20 arrests, including 13 from the East End.
Local law enforcement agencies have broken up a massive heroin ring that saw some 2,500 bags of the deadly drug — valued at almost $40,000 — sold on the East End each week, authorities said.
The investigation culminated with the arrest of 19 people, including 12 from the North and South forks, who were rounded up this week by the Suffolk County East End Drug Task Force, Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota announced Wednesday.
“It is the largest heroin bust we have ever made on the East End,” Mr. Spota said, adding that the arrests will surely put a dent in the flow of heroin to the region.
Describing the workings of the enterprise, detectives said drug runners would traffic sleeves of heroin to eastern Long Island from New York City, amounting to a $2 million yearly enterprise.
The East End police departments that comprise the task force searched homes in Riverhead, Mattituck, Coram, Greenport, Flanders, Calverton and in Queens after a nine-month investigation involving undercover detectives, video surveillance and wiretaps, authorities said.
The investigation was initiated after an undercover detective bought heroin from one of the local suppliers in October.
A recent search of Shawn Badgett’s 15 Albright Drive home in Coram netted 40 bags of heroin, 5.6 ounces of crack cocaine and more than $70,000 in cash, officials said. Mr. Badgett, 35, who police said was cooking cocaine when they arrived at his home, allegedly supplied Terrence Dozier of Calverton and others throughout the North and South forks with heroin.
During the search in Coram, police said they found $73,000 strewn about the home in various locations, including under a nightstand and in a pair of pants. Detectives found another $90,000 in Mr. Badgett’s safe deposit box and $260 in counterfeit bills in a woman’s purse, authorities said.
“There’s no better illustration of the profits to be had peddling heroin than the amount of cash task force detectives found scattered throughout 15 Albright Drive in Coram,” Mr. Spota said.
Police said Mr. Dozier, 35, of Calverton and Terrence Smith, 30, of Greenport would also purchase the heroin, stamped with the names Google or privilege, from Juan Pabon, 41 of Ridgewood, Queens and other dealers. They would sell it to Kathryn Schirippa, 21, and Michael Maffetone, 27, both of Mattituck, who would allegedly then sell the drugs to people in Flanders, Calverton, Riverhead and throughout Southold Town.
Police said they found 56 bags of heroin in a dresser drawer at Ms. Schirippa’s 1400 Cox Neck Avenue home in Mattituck.
Detectives also searched the 527 Madison Avenue, Greenport, home of Mr. Smith and Sonya Vonica-Smith, 45, and found 250 bags of heroin, as well as a small quantity of cocaine and drug paraphernalia, officials said.
During a search of Cynthia Dozier Walker’s 277 Old Country Road home in Riverhead, detectives also found just under 5 sleeves, or 495 bags of heroin, prosecutors said.
Mr. Badgett and another resident of his home, Rondalynn Williams, 32, were arraigned in Suffolk County Court on a grand jury indictment and are each facing a slew of drug charges. Mr. Badgett and Ms. Williams pleaded not guilty Tuesday. Mr. Badgett is being held on $200,000 bail and Ms. Williams is being held on $150,000 bail.
Ms. Schirippa has been charged with third- and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and second-degree conspiracy. Mr. Maffetone was also charged with third- and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance as well as criminal possession of a hypodermic needle. Their arraignment information was not immediately available.
Mr. Dozier has been charged with third- and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and is being held at the jail without bail. Ms. Dozier Walker, 53, was charged with two counts of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and is also being held without bail.
Mr. Smith was charged with third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and Ms. Vonica-Smith was charged with third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.
The following people also arrested for involvement with the drug ring: Lashanne Anderson, 31, of Calverton; Sharieff Burton, 50, of Riverhead; Brian Rive, 36, of Mattituck; Jessica Bosworth, 21, of Laurel; Juan Pabon, 41, of Ridgewood; Jovan Coffey, 28, of Flanders; Daniel Charbonnier, 21, of East Patchogue; Angela Hobbs, 39, of Medford; Shavar Coffey, 28, of Southampton; David Patruno, 29, of Maspeth; and Edwin Felix, 27, of Jamaica.