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QUEENS WEEKLY, MARCH 31, 2019
Nine Queens men arrested in
major cocaine, marijuana bust
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
After a 14-month probe,
law enforcement agents
busted up a large-scale
cocaine and marijuana
peddling ring in Queens,
leading to the arrest of
10 individuals on related
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charges, prosecutors
announced on March 26.
Each defendant was
charged with criminal possession
of a controlled substance,
with some charged
with criminal possession
of a weapon.
The following men,
eight of whom reside in
Queens, were arraigned in
connection with the case,
as announced by acting
District Attorney John
Ryan: Hermes Bermudez,
40, of Rego Park; Queens
Villages’ Marcus Thomas,
41, Cashuwell Bradley, 30,
Abraham Aessa, 38, of Sergio
Pettiford, 36, and Jonathan
Francis, 36; Jamaica’s
Joseph Husbands, 64,
and Gary Harris, 54, and
Earnest Charles Jr., 44, of
Crown Heights, Brooklyn.
A tenth defendant, 38-
year-old Noel Mackenson
of Queens Village, pleaded
guilty to criminal possession
of a control substance
on March 20.
As part of the probe, law
enforcement agents executed
search warrants at 12 residences
in Queens and Brooklyn
and recovered five firearms,
more than 400 grams of
cocaine, more than 11 pounds
of marijuana and approximately
$264,000 in cash.
“A morning wake-up
call by the police resulted
in the seizure of both drugs
and illegal firearms and
the arrest of 10 individuals
bent on profiting by allegedly
selling poison on
our neighborhood streets,”
said Ryan. “The drug ring
is alleged to have operated
in Queens County and elsewhere
distributing both
cocaine and marijuana.
Thanks to the hard work of
the NYPD’s Narcotics Bureau
Queens South and our
office’s Narcotics Investigations
Bureau. The defendants
now face prison time
for their alleged actions.”
According to charges,
the NYPD’s Narcotics Borough
Queens South and the
Queens District Attorney’s
Narcotics Investigations
Bureau began investigating
a crew of alleged drug
dealers in January of 2018.
Throughout the course of
their investigation, which
utilized techniques such
as intercepting telephone
calls, GPS location monitoring
and surveillance, police
arrested Aessa, Pettiford,
Husbands, Harris, Mackenson
and Francis. Charles,
Bermudez, Bradley and
Thomas were arraigned on
March 21.
The criminal complaint
states that each defendant
possessed and sold narcotics
in Queens County.
Using a court-authorized
eavesdropping warrant,
police overheard the defendants
discuss buying
drugs, distributing narcotics
and advancing the
organization in an effort
to make more money.
“In working to reduce
crime past already recordlows
in New York City, the
NYPD is relentless in our
pursuit of the relatively small
percentage of the population
driving the violence and disorder,”
said Police Commissioner
James P. O’Neill. “We
are achieving this because of
the full and willing partnership
of New Yorkers in every
neighborhood and the unrivaled
assistance of our lawenforcement
partners. I commend
the Queens District
Attorney and the investigators
whose efforts resulted
in these arrests.”
Each defendant is being
held on bail ranging from
$25,000 to $150,000, with
Harris being released on
his own recognizance.
If convicted, the defendants
face between one
and 15 years in prison.
Qns. College partners
for international fl air
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
Queens College announced
on Monday a new
partnership with a global
education organization that
will increase international
students’ access to higher
education and prepare them
for future success.
The City University of
New York (CUNY) college is
the first in New York state
to sign an agreement with
Navitas, a global higher
education organization
that partners with universities
to help international
students acquire a highquality
education learning
experience.
The second largest of
CUNY’s 11 senior colleges,
Queens College offers over
100 undergraduate and
graduate degree programs
from an 80-acre campus
with state-of-the-art facilities,
located at 65-30 Kissena
Blvd. in Flushing.
“With a campus located
in America’s most ethnically
diverse county and
students from more than
150 nations, we are looking
forward to beginning a partnership
with Navitas,” said
Queens College Provost and
Vice President for Academic
Affairs Elizabeth Hendrey.
“We are eager to work together
to increase the global
perspective of our campus
community and provide students
worldwide with greater
access to a high-quality
Queens College education.”
The new partnership
will support the college’s internationalization
strategy
by broadening international
education on campus, enhancing
its global reach and
reputation, and expanding
learning opportunities for
international and domestic
students alike.
The collaboration will
also include the development
of a Global Student
Success Program on campus
(QC-GSSP). The QC-GSSP
will support the transition
of international students to
a U.S. university environment
and prepare them for
future academic success.
Navitas has more than
a quarter century of experience
partnering with
leading institutions around
the world, including public
universities in the United
States, to support their internationalization
goals.
The partnership with
Queens College marks
Navitas’ 40th institutional
partnership globally.
“Navitas is delighted
to be partnering with
Queens College, which is
a leading institution for
the quality and value of
its academic programs
and student achievement,”
said Navitas Group CEO,
David Buckingham.
“We are excited to support
the College with its internationalization
strategy, which
will enable more students
from around the world to benefit
from the excellent academic
programs and vibrant student
life that Queens College
and the New York City area
have to offer.”
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