14 OCTOBER 18, 2018 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Gun-toting
bandits rob
R’wood man
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
RPOZARYCKI@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
@RIDGEWOODTIMES
The 104th Precinct continues
to seek the suspects
behind a recent gunpoint
robbery on the streets of
Ridgewood.
Law enforcement sources said
the street stickup took place at
11:40 p.m. on the evening of Oct.
9 in front of an apartment building
on Madison Street between
Seneca and Onderdonk Avenues.
According to police, three
suspects approached an unidentifi
ed victim walking through
the area. One of the perpetrators
displayed a firearm and
demanded the victim’s property.
The crooks subsequently
removed the victim’s wallet,
cellphone and sneakers, then
fl ed the scene on foot. Police said
they were last seen heading westbound
on Madison Street toward
the Brooklyn/Queens border.
No serious injuries were
reported.
On Oct. 16, the 104th Precinct
tweeted a wanted fl ier showing
images of the three bandits, each
of whom is described as a black
man believed to be 18 years of
age with a thin build.
Anyone with information
regarding the suspects’ whereabouts
can call the 104th
Precinct Detective Squad at
718-386-2723; all calls are kept
confi dential.
Four Ridgewood men busted in a
citywide drug distribution ring
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
EDAVENPORT@QNS.COM / @QNS
Seventeen men, including four
from Ridgewood, have been
charged for running a heroin and
cocaine traffi cking ring throughout
the city.
The defendants, including Ridgewood
residents Luis Figueroa, 55,
Julio Figueroa, 49, Ricky Figueroa, 53
and Raul Muniz, 52, were indicted on
various charges of second-degree conspiracy,
operating as a major traffi cker,
second-degree money laundering,
fi rst-, second- and third-degree criminal
sale of a controlled substance;
second- and third-degree criminal
possession of a controlled substance
and second- and third-degree criminal
possession of a weapon and other
related charges.
Fift een defendants were arraigned
in Brooklyn on Oct. 9-10, with two
more awaiting arraignment. Twelve
of the defendants were charged with
second-degree conspiracy, which is
punishable by up to 25 years in prison
if convicted.
Between July 2017 and April 2018, according
to the charges, the defendants
conspired to possess and sell heroin
and cocaine in Brooklyn, Queens, the
Bronx and Manhattan. The operation
was allegedly led by Ezequiel Reyes,
who was based in York, Pennsylvania.
Reyes, according to charges, allegedly
worked with a wholesale distributor
to supply many of the other defendants
with heroin and cocaine to be resold on
the streets.
It is alleged that Reyes also relied
on numerous individuals to supply
the defendants with drugs, including
59-year-old Noe Lopez, who is currently
serving time at the Great Plains
Correctional Institution in Hinton,
Oklahoma, and an individual residing
in Puerto Rico.
Lopez was sentenced to 240 months
in prison and forfeited $15 million after
he pleaded guilty to conspiring to
possess with intent to distribute more
than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana and
fi ve kilograms of cocaine and laundering
of monetary instruments in 2005
in Texas. It is alleged that Lopez used
a contraband cellphone to arrange
large-scale sales of narcotics to Reyes.
It is also alleged that another individual
also arranged for shipments of
narcotics to Reyes from Puerto Rico.
Throughout the course of the
investigation, over 7 kilograms of
cocaine and 4 kilograms of heroin
were recovered during police searches,
which includes a search of Luis
Figueroa’s home. One kilo brick bore
the emblem of the New York Yankees,
while another kilo was concealed in a
battery backup device.
Police also recovered over 1,800
glassine envelopes of heroin and seven
fi rearms from his residence.
“These defendants allegedly profi ted
off the misery of drug addiction, particularly
the growing heroin epidemic
that’s taking the lives of too many
young people who misuse this deadly
and highly addictive drug,” said Brooklyn
District Attorney Eric Gonzalez. “I
am committed to prosecuting major
suppliers such as the ringleaders in
this case to keep them from peddling
narcotics in our communities.”
Photo courtesy of the Brooklyn District
Attorney’s offi ce
Items recovered pursuant to
a search warrant from Luis
Figueroa’s residence.
Miller honors some avid young summer readers
When school let out for the
summer, Assemblyman
Mike Miller encouraged students
in his district to continue learning
by picking up a book. Miller sponsored
a summer Reading Challenge, in coordination
with New York State libraries,
to inspire kids to read on a regular basis
throughout the summer break.
Many students throughout the
district participated in this challenge
and pledged to read for at least 15
minutes each day for at least 40 days
during the months of July and August.
On Oct. 9, Miller presented New
York State Excellence in Reading certifi
cates to three participants from
P.S. 254 in Richmond Hill: Sophia
Salazar, Janessa M. Williams and
Esmeralda Pettersen. Photo courtesy of Assemblyman Mike Miller’s offi ce
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