Operation Brooklyn Bound: Attorney General James Takes Down New York City Heroin And Cocaine Drug Rings  

Operation Brooklyn Bound: Attorney General James Takes Down New York City Heroin and Cocaine Drug Rings  

7 Individuals Indicted and Charged with 97 Crimes  

BROOKLYN – Attorney General Letitia James today announced charges against seven individuals for their roles in two narcotics trafficking networks that distributed heroin and cocaine throughout New York City and Schenectady. The seven individuals are charged with 97 counts related to their participation in trafficking drugs through Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, the Bronx, Staten Island, and Schenectady. As alleged in the two indictments unsealed today, targets of the investigation sold more than five kilograms of cocaine and over 500 grams of heroin, which was often mixed with fentanyl.

“The drugs from these individuals will no longer be Brooklyn Bound,” said Attorney General Letitia James. “This toxic cocktail of heroin laced with fentanyl has been taking lives and ravaging communities throughout New York and we are committed to rooting out the drug rings that flood our streets with it. Safety is our top priority and we will continue to take down those who attempt to profit off of peddling illicit drugs.”

“I commend the efforts of our Special Investigations Unit and our partners with the Office of the Attorney General for their diligent work on this case,” said New York State Police Superintendent Keith M. Corlett. “We have no tolerance for those who sell these dangerous, illegal drugs in our communities, and we will continue to work aggressively with our law enforcement partners to make certain they are held accountable.”

The 13-month joint investigation was conducted by the Attorney General’s Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF) and the Special Investigations Unit of the New York State Police (NYSP) and included covert surveillance and hundreds of hours of wiretaps, aimed at rooting out heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine dealers operating in Kings County.

This joint investigation included hundreds of hours of physical and covert surveillance, court-authorized wiretapping of numerous target phones, and the recovery of more than 500 grams of heroin and fentanyl, as well as the seizure of 450 grams of cocaine and thousands of dollars of illicit narcotics proceeds. During the course of the wiretapping, the defendants and their co-conspirators frequently utilized coded and cryptic terminology in an attempt to disguise their illicit activities, such as referring to narcotics as “the situation,” cocaine as, “the regular,” heroin as “food,” and a kilogram of narcotics as “a whole one.”

The investigation culminated in two indictments, unsealed in Kings County Supreme Court today. In the first Indictment, People v. Williams, et al, five defendants are accused of selling cocaine in Kings County, and elsewhere throughout the City and State of New York. As alleged in the indictment, Joseph Williams; Derrick Sanders, a.k.a. “Suge”; Lebarnes McClure, a.k.a. “Fat Boy”; and Todd Carroll conspired to operate a cocaine distribution network operating in and around Brooklyn. That cocaine was then distributed throughout New York and other states, including to the fifth defendant, Carlos Shiwbaran, and others. This indictment contains 80 counts of various felony narcotics offenses, including a charge against Joseph Williams for Operating as a Major Trafficker, which carries a mandatory life sentence in state prison, and various counts of Criminal Sale and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance (class A and B felonies), as well as Conspiracy to commit those crimes. 

The second indictment, People v. Middleton, et al, accuses two defendants: Shanavia Middleton, a.k.a. “Neevy” and Timmie Dansby, a.k.a. “Scatter” with 17 counts of felony narcotics offenses associated with the selling of heroin in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and the Bronx.

Those charged in today’s indictments include:
JOSEPH WILLIAMS (41) – Brooklyn, NY
DERRICK SANDERS, a.k.a. “Suge” (39) – Brooklyn, NY  
LEBARNES MCCLURE, a.k.a. “Fat Boy” (55) – Brooklyn, NY
TODD CARROLL (47) – Staten Island, NY
CARLOS SHIWBARAN (44) – Schenectady, NY
SHANAVIA MIDDLETON, a.k.a. “Neevy” (45) – Brooklyn, NY
TIMMIE DANSBY, a.k.a. “Scatter” (48) – Brooklyn, NY

Today’s takedown marks the latest major drug bust in the Attorney General’s Suburban and Upstate Response to the Growing Epidemic (S.U.R.G.E.) Initiative, a law enforcement effort that brings together state and local law enforcement to target New York’s growing – and often violent – heroin, opioid, and narcotics trafficking networks. Since launching in 2017, SURGE has taken 495 alleged traffickers off the streets.

The charges against the defendants are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

The investigation was led by Attorney General OCTF Investigator Zylona Silva, under the supervision of Supervising Investigator Bradford Miller and Deputy Chief Christopher Vasta. The Attorney General’s Investigations Bureau is led by Chief Investigator Oliver Pu-Folkes.

The case is being prosecuted by Attorney General OCTF Assistant Deputy Attorney General Christopher S. Clark, under the supervision of Downstate OCTF Deputy Chief Lauren Abinanti. Nicole Keary is the Deputy Attorney General in Charge of OCTF. The Criminal Justice Division is led by Chief Deputy Attorney General José Maldonado.