11 Arrested In Southern Brooklyn Drug Ring Bust

SOUTHERN BROOKLYN – Yesterday morning, 11 men were arrested and charged in the aftermath of an eight-month investigation into a Southern Brooklyn drug ring accused of selling cocaine, heroin, and heroin laced with the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced.

Of the 11 arrested, nine of the men were from Brooklyn, selling their narcotics seven days a week in distinctive, blue-checkered glassine bags, delivering the drugs in Sheepshead Bay, Gerritsen Beach and Coney Island, and even extending as far as Sunset Park, Bay Ridge and Staten Island.

According to the investigation, deliveries were arranged over the phone from morning to night, with transactions conducted in person, the sales ranging from $1,000 and $7,000. The ring allegedly made as much as $17,000 per week during their operation.

When the NYPD executed search warrants in connection with the case yesterday morning, they recovered an estimated $500,000 in cash and approximately 1½ kilos of heroin and ½ kilo of cocaine.

“This indictment reflects our continuing commitment to fighting the burgeoning scourge of opioid addiction that is spreading to too many of our neighborhoods. These drug dealers profit from the misery of addiction, selling dangerous drugs while destroying lives and futures. Thanks to the hard work of the NYPD and prosecutors from our office, we will now seek to hold them accountable for their criminal actions,” said District Attorney Gonzalez.

The 11 men charged in the 273-count indictment all face charges of second-degree conspiracy, a Class B felony which could result in up to 25 years in prison, while the alleged ringleader, Jorge Valerio, will be charged as a major trafficker, and faces up to 30 years. Of course, there are an assortment of other charges in the indictment: second- and third-degree sale of criminal substances, and third- and fourth-degree possession.

Those named in the indictment are:

1. Jorge Valerio, 35, of Coney Island, Brooklyn.
2. Michael Almonte, 37, of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.
3. Ernest Deschamps, 27, of Sunset Park, Brooklyn.
4. Kevin Suriel, 24, of Coney Island, Brooklyn.
5. Gabrielle Fermin, 27, of Staten Island.
6. Baby Amanda Suriel, 23, of Sunset Park, Brooklyn.
7. Joel Raymond Salas, 31, of Midwood, Brooklyn.
8. Mehdi Elyamine, 28, of Coney Island, Brooklyn.
9. Manuela Nunez, 39, of East New York, Brooklyn.
10. Nyrell Nunez, 20, of East New York, Brooklyn.
11. Luis Perez, 33, of Staten Island.

Of course, an indictment is just an accusatory statement and not an indication of guilt. The defendants will return to court on March 23, 2018.