Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Nine Alleged Narcotics Traffickers from Far Rockaway, Queens Indicted on Drug Trafficking and Firearms Charges


Two separate indictments were unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn yesterday charging nine defendants from the Far Rockaway section of Queens, New York with trafficking heroin, crack, and powder cocaine. Two defendants were also charged with firearms trafficking, and one defendant was charged with possessing ammunition after having been convicted of a felony.1 Six of the defendants arrested yesterday are scheduled to be arraigned this morning before United States Magistrate Judge Cheryl L. Pollak at the U.S. Courthouse, 225 Cadman Plaza East, Brooklyn, New York. The cases have been assigned to United States District Judges Frederic Block and Brian M. Cogan.

The charges and arrests were announced by Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Janice K. Fedarcyk, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office; and Raymond W. Kelly, Commissioner, New York City Police Department.

A seven-month joint investigation by the FBI and the NYPD resulted in the charges against members of two separate narcotics trafficking organizations based in Far Rockaway, Queens. As detailed in the first indictment and a detention memorandum filed by the government, Pedro Garcia, Alberto Ocasio (also known as “Berto”), and Davon Pearson (also known as “Red”) together sold cocaine and cocaine base on numerous occasions to an undercover NYPD detective. Ocasio and Pearson also sold a .22 caliber handgun and ammunition to the undercover detective, three days after Ocasio had pleaded guilty in New York State Supreme Court to a narcotics felony. During one recorded meeting, Ocasio and Pearson allegedly offered to sell the undercover detective a short-barreled shotgun, which Pearson boasted could be used to “take out a whole block.” During another recorded transaction, Ocasio admitted that he had shot at members of the Crips street gang only days after selling the .22 caliber firearm to the undercover detective.

Jason Carter, Steven Dove, Floyd Goodson (also known as “G”), Elijah Ingram (also known as “EJ”), Dennis Jenkins (also known as “Meaty”), and Bentley Martin (also known as “Killa” and “B”) were charged in a second indictment with being members of another drug trafficking organization also based in Far Rockaway. According to the indictment and detention memorandum, these defendants engaged in numerous sales of heroin and cocaine to an NYPD undercover detective.

“Once again, the indictments announced today demonstrate that narcotics trafficking and illegal firearms go hand-in-hand. These charges signal our continuing commitment to prosecuting drug traffickers in all of our communities, including Far Rockaway, a neighborhood that has been victimized by a disproportionate share of drug activity and related violence,” stated United States Attorney Lynch. Ms. Lynch added that the government’s investigation is ongoing.”

FBI Assistant Director in Charge Fedarcyk stated, “The FBI’s commitment to policing drug trafficking organizations is rooted in the inseparable connection between drugs and guns. Peddling poison in city neighborhoods is hazard enough, but it is compounded by the ever-present menace of the guns so often used by drug traffickers.”

NYPD Commissioner Kelly stated, “Taking illegal guns and narcotics off neighborhood streets improves—and no doubt saves—lives in Far Rockaway and anywhere police concentrate their efforts. The arrests today are the result of the hard work of the NYPD Queens Gang Division to identify and shut down alleged violent drug trafficking organizations, working together with federal prosecutors.”

If convicted of the most serious offenses in the indictment, Garcia, Ocasio, and Pearson face a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a maximum sentence of 40 years’ imprisonment. Carter, Dove, Goodson, Ingram, Martin, and Jenkins face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew Amatruda and Alexander Solomon.

The Defendants Arrested Yesterday:

JASON CARTER
Age: 43

PEDRO GARCIA
Age: 35

FLOYD GOODSON
Alias: “G”
Age: 53

ELIJAH INGRAM
Alias: “EJ”
Age: 54

DENNIS JENKINS
Alias: “Meaty”
Age: 56

BENTLEY MARTIN
Aliases: “Killa” and “B”
Age: 29

DAVON PEARSON
Alias: “Red”
Age: 23

1 The charges contained in the indictments are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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