8 Suspects Busted For Trafficking Guns, Drugs In Queens: DA

JAMAICA, QUEENS — Eight people accused of dealing drugs and guns in southeast Queens were arrested as part of two long-term investigations, the Queens district attorney's office announced Saturday.

The suspects were members of two crews that used the same drug supplier to peddle cocaine, heroin and fentanyl throughout Jamaica, according to Queens prosecutors.

Among them is Jamaica resident Charles Gillespie, 19, who faces charges of selling six firearms, multiple high-capacity magazines and several rounds of ammunition to an undercover detective.

Gillespie sold the guns for $500 to $1,100 each and contacted customers weekly to advertise new offerings from his supplier, prosecutors said.

The eight arrests stem from an investigation dubbed Operation Blast Off that started in November 2018 and focused on Jamaica resident Steven Campbell, 37, who prosecutors say sold drugs to an undercover officer outside a Queens gym.

A year later, law enforcement started investigating a network of gun and drug traffickers in southeast Queens and discovered that the crew's narcotics and firearms supplier was one of the suspects in Operation Blast Off, according to prosecutors.

Officers found cash and more than 80 grams of cocaine while searching the suspects' apartments, including 36 grams hidden inside a speaker.

"I promised the citizens of Queens County that I would go after drug dealers and gun runners to keep our communities safe," Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. "Even during this global pandemic, our on-going investigations continued with 11 guns seized and several ounces of cocaine and quantities of fentanyl and heroin taken off our streets."