Bensonhurst Man Among 25 Charged In Heroin Trafficking Investigation

A Bensonhurst man was busted during the probe of a massive, Brooklyn-based heroin trafficking ring that pulled in $1.5 million a year, according to a 368-count indictment revealed today.

Gandin “Geets” Matos, 30, and 24 others, were charged with multiple counts of conspiracy, sale and possession of a controlled substance, and money laundering, Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson and New York City Police Commissioner William J. Bratton announced in a press release. Matos, of Bay 7th Street, allegedly acted as a courier for accused heroin dealer Adam Almodavar, 30, and has been charged with one felony drug count and conspiracy, according to authorities.

“There’s a growing heroin epidemic in New York and other parts of the country that’s taking the lives of many of our young people hooked on this deadly and highly-addictive drug,” said Thompson. “We must deal with this quiet drug plague by going after those who peddle this poison in our communities. The indictment of these 25 defendants, who include a court employee, an aspiring drug counselor, a 24-year-old man, his mother, sister, brother and two cousins, shows our determination to prevent any more families from being destroyed by heroin.”

According to the investigation — which was conducted using electronic, video, and physical surveillance — Josie Tavera, 25, of Williamsburg, was allegedly at the nexus of the distribution ring and several of his family members allegedly helped him flood the streets of Brooklyn and New York City with heroin. The drug was branded with names like “Knockout,” “Takeover,” “Power Hour,” “Killing Time,” “Pure,” “Gucci,” and “Scorpion, said prosecutors.

Two other key defendants are Jason Collazo, 36, and Michael Mineo, 37, both of Staten Island. Collazo — who works in the Midtown Manhattan Community Court as a community service supervisor — is accused of using the court’s phone to coordinate heroin transactions, purchased heroin from Tavera, and distributed it to several individuals in Brooklyn and Staten Island, including Mineo, who has studied substance abuse at the College of Staten Island and identified himself to police as a drug counselor.

Much of the drug-related activity occurred in and around Tavera’s Driggs Avenue apartment, according to the investigation. Several people are accused of supplying Tavera with heroin, including his brother, Jose Taveras, and Jose Sosa. Tavera, in turn, supplied a number of individuals with a large quantity of heroin to be resold, including defendants Collazo, Almodovar, and Pablo Soto.

Of the 25 defendants, 22 were arrested yesterday and two others were already in custody on other charges. One more defendant is still being sought by the NYPD.

All of the defendants are charged with second-degree conspiracy, which is a B felony punishable by up to 25 years in prison. They are variously charged with first-, second-, and third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance; first-, second-, third-, and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance; and fourth-degree money laundering, according to prosecutors.