Feds Charge 6 In Conspiracy To Distribute Cocaine, Fentanyl In NY

PEEKSKILL, NY — The FBI said it has dismantled a massive illegal drug network operating out of Westchester County.

Damian Williams, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and James E. Dennehy, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the FBI, announced on Friday the arrest of six people charged with participating in a drug conspiracy that distributed large amounts of cocaine and fentanyl in Peekskill.

Jason Tinsley (a/k/a "Floss"), Jerome Reed (a/k/a "Pops"), Rakim Mayo (a/k/a "Bo"), Thomas Ryan, Gary Burkett, and Miesha Cato were arrested and arraigned on Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew E. Krause. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Karas.

"As alleged in the Indictment, the defendants participated in a conspiracy to flood the streets of Peekskill with cocaine, crack, and fentanyl," Williams said. "They allegedly operated throughout the City of Peekskill, on the street and in public housing complexes, disrupting people’s everyday lives and brazenly infesting the streets and residential buildings of Peekskill with dangerous drugs while they sought to get rich. Our investigation remains ongoing, and I thank our law enforcement partners and the career prosecutors of this Office who are working tirelessly to keep drug dealers and dangerous illegal drugs out of our communities."

According to court documents, from April 2024 until their arrests on Tuesday, the six conspired to supply and distribute large amounts of mostly cocaine, crack cocaine, and fentanyl in Peekskill, along with methamphetamine and other narcotics. They operated out of several residential buildings, including Bohlmann Towers and Dunbar Heights public housing complexes, selling drugs themselves and through street sellers and couriers.

In addition to the arrests, the FBI, the City of Peekskill Police Department, the Westchester County Police Department, and other members of the FBI’s Westchester County Safe Streets Task Force and its partners executed search warrants in Peekskill, Brooklyn, and New Jersey. As a result, law enforcement found several kilograms of methamphetamine and crack cocaine, PCP, several firearms and rounds of ammunition, and more than $100,000 in cash and jewelry.

"These six defendants allegedly organized a regional narcotics trade to supply significant amounts of highly addictive drugs, including cocaine and fentanyl, through various personal and intermediary transactions," Dennehy said. "The alleged conspiracy operated on the streets and within local residential complexes, putting the wellbeing and safety of residents at risk through the increased presence of illegal drugs. The FBI will continue to dismantle and terminate the flow of illegal drugs plaguing our communities."

If anyone has any information about this case, they are asked to contact the FBI at 1-800-Call-FBI or online.

42-year-old Tinsley of Peekskill, 35-year-old Reed of Peekskill, 35-year-old Mayo of Brooklyn, 43-year-old Ryan of Brooklyn, 62-year-old Burkett of Peekskill, and 37-year-old Cato of Peekskill were all charged with narcotics conspiracy, which carries a mandatory miminum sentence of 10 years in prison to a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Williams praised the work of the FBI Westchester County Safe Streets Task Force, the City of Peekskill Police Department, the Westchester County Police Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. He also thanked the Yorktown Police Department, the New York City Police Department, and the New York State Police.

The case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin L. Brooke is in charge of the prosecution.