Brooklyn DA: 'Sprawling' Drug Ring Brought Kilos Of Coke, Heroin, Fentanyl Into NYC

BROOKLYN, NY — Acting Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced Wednesday the indictment of 34 people associated with an alleged cross-state drug distribution ring that spanned New York and Arizona.

During the investigation, 10 kilograms of various narcotics and 17 guns were recovered, according to the DA.

The list of narcotics allegedly included cocaine, heroin and furanyl fentanyl — a new and potent opiate not yet classified as a controlled substance under New York law.

The 34 defendants were variously charged with related counts of first-, second- and third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, first-, second- and third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, second- and fourth-degree conspiracy in the 357-charge indictment, the DA said. The top charge carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison, according to the District Attorney's office.

The DA's indictment accuses the defendants of assuming various roles in a drug distribution operation that spanned all of New York City, some upstate New York counties and Phoenix, Arizona, between June 2016 and March 2017.

According to the hierarchical structure of the drug ring, Jerome Horton was the head of the operation in Brooklyn, with Willie Billingslea directly below him, the DA said. Defendants Christopher Corley, Brian Davis, Stephone Nottingham and Gary Felton were among the distributors who allegedly bought the drugs from the duo and resold them.

Nigel Maloney, who was based out of Arizona, would mail heroin and cocaine to Jamaica resident Warren Appolon, the DA said. The drugs were then allegedly purchased by Billingslea on behalf of Horton. Joseph Raffone and Kristian Cruz came on as the ring's secondary suppliers for heroin and furanyl fentanyl, the DA said, after Horton and Billingslea sought new suppliers to meet demands.

The drug ring, lead by Horton and Billingslea, stored drugs under floor boards and in storage rooms, the DA said. Vehicles with elaborate hiding spaces were then allegedly used to transport the drugs to customers, who would call the distributors to arrange a meet.

A total of 2.455 kilograms of cocaine, 1.704 kilograms of heroin and 4.581 kilograms of furanyl fentanyl were recovered during the investigation, the DA said.

“The indictment describes a sprawling narcotics ring that operated from Brooklyn across the city, the state and the country. Those who push these deadly poisons on our streets, concerned only with their own lucrative profits, devastate the communities where they operate and feed the disease of addiction, which ultimately touches all of us," Gonzalez said in statement. "Drug analogs, like the furanyl fentanyl in this case, highlight a dangerous gap in our narcotics laws that we will work to address with our partners in Albany.”

Scroll down for a full list of defendants.

1. Nigel Maloney, 49, of Phoenix, Arizona
2. Warren Appolon, 46, of Jamaica, Queens
3. Jerome Horton, 47, of East New York, Brooklyn
4. Willie Billingslea, 43, of East New York, Brooklyn
5. Brian Davis, 29, of Brownsville, Brooklyn
6. Stephon Nottingham, 30, of Canarsie, Brooklyn
7. Gary Felton, 30, of Crown Heights, Brooklyn
8. Kristian Cruz, 21, of the East Village, Manhattan
9. Joseph Raffone, 38, of Ridgewood, Queens
10. Chareefe Watkins, 30, of Brownsville, Brooklyn
11. Marion Trombley, 28, of Cobleskill, NY
12. Basilio Hidalgo, 32, of East Williamsburg, Brooklyn
13. Christopher Corley, 40, of Freeport, NY
14. Jerome Eddie, 41, of Crown Heights, Brooklyn
15. Jackie Hillard, 43, of Ronkonkoma, NY
16. Taivon Wise, 35, of Crown Heights, Brooklyn
17. Ksun Hodgson, 34, of East New York, Brooklyn
18. Theo Jones, 33, of Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
19. Anthony Edwards, 32, of Brownsville, Brooklyn
20. Micky Hilton, 36, of Rockville Center, NY
21. Kye Robbins, 30, of Brownsville, Brooklyn
22. Alonzo Cunigan, 35, of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn
23. Henry Bannister, 50, of Harrisburg, SC
24. Zakierfrare Scott, 39, of Harrisburg, SC
25. Oscar Murphy, 29, of Harrisburg, SC
26. Donnell Scott, 47, of Peeskill, NY
27. Dorian Brooks, 47, of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn
28. Gregory Campbell, 45, of Brownsville, Brooklyn
29. Miles Knight, 30, of Greensboro, NC
30. Jerome Harris, 30, of Canarsie, Brooklyn
31. Kenneth Christian, 44, of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn
32. Antoine Leveque, 36, of Clifton, Staten Island
33. Gregory Boyd-Davis, 33, of Queens Village, Queens
34. Robert Meredith, 32, of Ditmars, Queens

Lead image via Shutterstock