Attorney General James Announces Takedown of Gun and Drug Trafficking Ring Operating in New York City

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced the takedown of a multistate gun and drug trafficking network that sold assault weapons, ghost guns and other firearms, and cocaine in New York City. The takedown recovered 74 firearms, including nine assault-style rifles, eight assault-style pistols and four ghost guns, over 2,100 rounds of ammunition, and 500 grams of cocaine with a street value of $15,700. The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) arrested 13 individuals and charged them with 358 crimes for their roles in trafficking these firearms and narcotics into New York City from New Jersey and Florida. 

“Assault weapons and ghost guns pose some of the greatest threats to our communities, and we will do everything possible to keep them out of New York,” said Attorney General James. “As a result of our investigation, we took dozens of dangerous and illegal guns and narcotics out of our communities and stopped this multistate crime operation from continuing to profit off violence. Protecting New Yorkers from gun violence is a joint effort, and I thank our partners in law enforcement for their commitment to public safety.”

The takedown was the result of a ten-month joint investigation led by OAG Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF) and the United States Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) New York Strike Force Group Z-13, led by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). The investigation included physical and covert video surveillance, court-authorized wiretapping of cellphones, the analysis of electronic evidence, including cellphone communications, and other traditional investigative operations.

The investigation began in August 2023, focusing on Anthony Ortiz Vasquez, who sold illegal firearms, illegal rapid-fire modification devices that transform semiautomatic weapons into automatic weapons, high-capacity magazines, and ammunition. Wiretap evidence revealed a coordinated network of individuals around Ortiz Vasquez working together to buy, store, transport, and sell these firearms and accessories. 

The investigation revealed that Ortiz Vasquez bought firearms from Nelphy Reyes-Peralta, Nestor Vasquez Vargas and his cousin Derek Vargas, Harry Laureano, and Jeffry Deschamps. Nestor Vasquez Vargas, who resides in Kissimmee, Florida, would mail illegal firearms – some of which he custom painted – to Ortiz Vasquez in Paterson, New Jersey. Ortiz Vasquez bought firearms from the other defendants at various locations in Paterson, often using codewords like “toys,” “sneakers,” or “panties,” to refer to the guns when arranging purchases. Ortiz Vasquez and his sources also referred ammunition as “food” and the illegal rapid-fire modification devices as “switches” when they communicated about sales. In addition to Ortiz Vasquez’s payments, Tiffany Diaz Fermin and brothers Carlos Torres and Juan Torres sent money transfers through Zelle and CashApp to pay the firearms sources.   

After buying the firearms, Iris Molina, Tiffany Diaz Fermin, and Kiara Rodriguez stored firearms for Ortiz Vasquez at Molina, Diaz Fermin, and Ortiz Vasquez’s homes in Paterson. Ortiz Vasquez also enlisted his mother, Yadira Vasquez, to help move, hide, store, and pay for the firearms. 

Carlos and Juan Torres regularly assisted Ortiz Vasquez in driving the firearms, rapid fire modification devices, high-capacity magazines, and ammunition, from Paterson, New Jersey to Washington Heights in New York City where they were sold. The defendants consistently made their sales on the same street corner in Washington Heights. In addition, Deschamps, Laureano, Yadira Vasquez, and Rodriguez all drove firearms from New Jersey to Manhattan and were each present for at least one sale made by Ortiz Vasquez. The defendants used different methods to disguise the weapons and ammunition as they transported them. They often wrapped guns in blankets and sheets or hid them in reusable grocery bags, and at least once used a guitar case to hide an assault rifle while driving it to New York City.  

Ortiz Vasquez also sold 500 grams of cocaine in Washington Heights, which was consistently sourced from his brother, Hector Vasquez.

Assault rifles, ghost guns, ammunition, and a high-capacity magazine recovered by the investigation

An assault-style pistol, other firearms, and ammunition recovered by the investigation

In addition to recovering 500 grams of cocaine, the investigation recovered 74 firearms, including nine assault-style rifles, eight assault-style pistols, and four ghost guns. Investigators also recovered 2,175 rounds of ammunition, more than 50 high-capacity magazines, and nine illegal rapid-fire modification devices. 

Those arrested as part of the takedown are:

• Anthony Ortiz Vasquez, 24, Paterson, New Jersey
• Nelphy Reyes-Peralta, 47, Wayne, New Jersey
• Nestor Vasquez Vargas, 20, Kissimmee, Florida
• Hector Vasquez, 36, Passaic, New Jersey
• Derek Vargas, 21, Paterson, New Jersey
• Jeffry Deschamps, 31, Paterson, New Jersey
• Carlos Torres, 22, Paterson, New Jersey
• Juan Torres, 21, Paterson, New Jersey
• Harry Laureano, 31, Paterson, New Jersey
• Iris Molina, 39, Paterson, New Jersey
• Tiffany Diaz Fermin, 28, Paterson, New Jersey
• Yadira Vasquez, 42, Hackensack, New Jersey 
• Kiara Rodriguez, 23, Hackensack, New Jersey

With respect to the firearms trafficking charges, Ortiz Vasquez, Reyes-Peralta, Carlos Torres, Juan Torres, Deschamps, Hector Vasquez, Yadira Vasquez, and Rodriguez are all charged with Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the First Degree, which is a class B violent felony and carries a maximum prison sentence of 25 years, as well as various other firearms sale and possession-related charges. All of the defendants are charged with Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree, which is a class E felony and carries a maximum prison sentence of 1 1/3 to 4 years.

With respect to the narcotics trafficking charges, Ortiz Vasquez and Hector Vasquez are also charged with Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree, a class A-I felony, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years, as well as various other narcotics-related charges.

“The arrest of these individuals and the seizure of dozens of firearms and cocaine reflects the partnership the DEA has with our federal and local law enforcement partners, including the New York Attorney General’s Office, when working together to target those individuals that pose a threat to our communities,” said DEA New York Division Special Agent in Charge Frank Tarentino. “Whenever illegal rapid-fire modification devices, ghost guns, and high-capacity magazines of this size are recovered, it is a stark reminder of the dangers law enforcement officials face when targeting these individuals and organizations. Today, the community is safer with these individuals off our street.”

“These 13 defendants have been linked to an alleged gun trafficking scheme involving over 70 firearms, including high-powered, black-market weaponry,” said HSI Special Agent in Charge Ivan J. Arvelo. “HSI New York continues to work in lockstep with our law enforcement partners to eradicate illegal firearms from our communities. While today’s actions are a step in the right direction to protect the public safety, there is more work to be done. HSI New York is proud to stand side-by-side with the New York Attorney General’s Office, the NYPD, the DEA, the New York State Police, and all agencies involved in confronting the gun violence epidemic directly and forcefully.”

“This important investigation shows how seamless interagency coordination is effectively combating large-scale illegal gun and drug trafficking in New York City,” said NYPD Commissioner Edward A. Caban. “Disassembling these dangerous operations has prevented bloodshed on our streets and averted untold tragedies in our communities. I commend our NYPD investigators, our partners at the New York Attorney General’s office, and our many other local, state, and federal colleagues for their commitment to this shared public safety mission. We vow to not rest until every New Yorker is completely safe and feels completely safe, too.”

“The New York State Police remains committed to working with the Attorney General’s Office and our partners in local law enforcement to shut down the illegal trafficking of guns and drugs,” said New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James. “Cases like this one send a strong message that anyone who endangers our communities with these criminal activities will be held accountable for their actions.”

This is the latest example of Attorney General James’ ongoing efforts to take down illegal gun and drug trafficking rings, which have secured indictments against 18 gun traffickers in July 2024 alone. Earlier this month, Attorney General James announced the takedown of a gun trafficking ring operating in Queens. In June 2024, Attorney General James announced the guilty pleas and sentencing of 14 defendants for their roles in a drug trafficking ring that sold fentanyl pills and cocaine in Western New York. In April 2024, Attorney General James announced the convictions of 12 defendants who sold heroin and methamphetamine disguised as prescription drugs, as well as cocaine and counterfeit Xanax pills in the Hudson Valley. Also in April, Attorney General James announced the indictment of four individuals for selling ghost guns and other firearms in Central New York. In March 2024, Attorney General James secured a $7.8 million judgment against gun retailer Indie Guns for illegally selling ghost gun components in New York. In February 2024, Attorney General James announced the takedowns of a gun trafficking network that sold ghost guns and assault-style rifles and a narcotics trafficking network in Dutchess County. 

The Attorney General would like to thank the partners within the joint OCDETF Strike Force, which includes members of the New York City Police Department (NYPD), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and the New York State Police (NYSP). Additional thanks go to the Passaic City (New Jersey) Police Department, the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General – Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ) Weapons Trafficking Unit, the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, the New Jersey State Police Weapons Trafficking North Unit, the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Postal Inspection Service for their valuable assistance and participation in this investigation.

The investigation was led by NYPD Detective/Task Force Officer (TFO) Hector Rodriguez of the joint OCDETF Strike Force Group Z-13, under the supervision of NYPD Sergeant Ryan Boylan, NYPD Lieutenant Michael Pomerantz, NYPD Assistant Chief Jerry O’Sullivan, and under the overall supervision of NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny. The OCDETF Strike Force Group Z-13 is also overseen by HSI New York Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Ivan J. Arvelo.  Dennis Acheson is the DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge (ASAC). Christopher Roberts is the DEA Associate Special Agent in Charge (A/SAC) and Frank A. Tarentino, III is the DEA Special Agent in Charge for the New York region. 

For OAG, the investigation was led by OCTF Detective Robert Geary, under the supervision of OCTF Supervising Detective Paul Grzegorski, Assistant Chief Ismael Hernandez, and Deputy Chief Andrew Boss, with special assistance from the detective specialists from the OAG Special Operations Unit, led by Deputy Chief Sean Donovan. The Attorney General’s Investigations Division is led by Chief Oliver Pu-Folkes.

The case is being prosecuted by OCTF Assistant Deputy Attorney General Brandi S. Kligman, under the supervision of Downstate OCTF Deputy Chief Lauren Abinanti with the assistance of OCTF Legal Support Analysts Alex DiGiacomo and Madeline Rosen. Nicole Keary is the Deputy Attorney General in Charge of OCTF. The Criminal Justice Division is led by Chief Deputy Attorney General José Maldonado. Both the Investigations Division and the Division for Criminal Justice are overseen by First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy.