7 Years For 'Drug Dealer' Who Peddled Cocaine To Undercover Officer At Ronkonkoma Bar: DA

RIVERSIDE, NY — A Bay Shore man was sentenced seven years in prison in connection with selling drugs to an undercover officer at a Ronkonkoma bar, Suffolk District Attorney Ray Tierney said Tuesday.

In October, Vladimir Elie, 48, pleaded guilty to second-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and criminal possession of a weapon.

His defense attorney, Steven Wilutis of Miller Place, told Patch that while his client did not say anything at his sentencing, he took responsibility and apologized for what he did in his pre-sentencing report.

"He was in a bad place, and had no income, and so he resorted to selling drugs," he added.

Willutis noted that the seven-year sentence is "lengthy" and that his client has committed to bettering himself during that time.

In October 2024, the police department began an investigation into JW’s Bar on Hawkins Avenue, and after receiving numerous complaints about narcotics being sold at the bar, an undercover officer purchased cocaine, prosecutors said.

Elie sold cocaine to the officer on multiple occasions in 2024, including Oct. 23, Nov. 1, and Nov. 13, and the last time, he sold more than two ounces of cocaine to them, according to prosecutors.

On May 15, 2025, Elie was stopped in Bay Shore by the police, and during the search of the vehicle he was driving, officers found a loaded and operable handgun, fentanyl, cocaine, a digital scale, packaging, three cellular telephones, and $900 in cash, prosecutors said.

Months later, in October, JW’s Bar was closed after a joint-investigation by Tierney's office, the police department, and the state's Liquor Authority, according to prosecutors.

Tierney said the bar was "a blight on the community" and thanked Suffolk police and
the state Liquor Authority "for coming together and shutting it down."

“Drug dealers should be on notice: if you sell in Suffolk County you will go to prison," he said.