DA: 39 Suspects Arrested After Drug Ring Dismantled On Staten Island
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A drug ring that smuggled guns and conspired to kill has been dismantled on Staten Island, authorities announced Tuesday.
Thirty-nine people have been arrested as part of the investigation dubbed "Operation Mayberry," prosecutors said.
Richmond County District Attorney Daniel Donovan said the investigation was given the codename because one of the defendants goes by the nickname "Opie."
DA: 39 Suspects Arrested After Drug Ring Dismantled On Staten Island
"But he and the other defendants are nothing like the lovable characters portrayed in the 1960s TV program 'The Andy Griffith Show,'" Donovan said. "These 39 individuals are accused of committing crimes and conspiring to commit crimes that would shock and appall Sheriff Taylor."
Donovan said the gang terrorized Staten Island neighborhoods, importing drugs from Mexico, Canada, Texas and Pennsylvania and then distributing them throughout the borough.
"They had drug routes where people would call up and drugs would be delivered," he said.
According to Donovan, the gang is linked to street shootings and three attempts on one man's life, 1010 WINS' Juliet Papa reported. Authorities said they also recovered guns that came from Georgia.
The suspects were indicted on various charges including conspiring to commit murder, attempted murder, possessing and transporting illegal firearms and distributing and selling cocaine, among others, prosecutors said.
"These defendants wreaked havoc on Staten Island by committing numerous violent crimes, dealing dangerous drugs and possessing and selling deadly weapons," Donovan said. "They will now be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
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