FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM MAY 31, 2018 • THE QUEENS COURIER 11
Huge drug and gun bust takes down Queens street gang members
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
rpozarycki@qns.com / @robbpoz
Law enforcement agents dropped the
hammer last week on alleged Queens
gang members who dealt drugs and guns
on the streets of Corona, Elmhurst and
Jackson Heights, prosecutors announced
on May 24.
Nine alleged members of the 97th Street
Trinitarios and #Hot97Boyz gangs wound
up in handcuff s on May 23 following
police raids resulting from a long-term
joint investigation by the NYPD Queens
Gang Unit and the Queens District
Attorney’s Narcotics Investigations
Bureau. Another nine individuals connected
to the drug sales also wound up
behind bars.
“A morning wake-up call by the police
armed with court-authorized search warrants
early yesterday morning resulted in
the arrest of 18 individuals and the seizure
of narcotics and drug paraphernalia,
including marijuana, cocaine, crack
cocaine, heroin, scales, packaging and
over $80,000 in cash,” Queens District
Attorney Richard A. Brown said on May
24. “Police also confi scated a machete and
fi ve vehicles.”
Among the arrested suspects were Oscar
“Diddy” Urena, 35, of Jackson Heights;
Jesus “Junior” Mota, 34, of College Point;
and Dionis “Moz” Fernandez, 23, of
Whitestone. Brown identifi ed them as the
main defendants in the case.
Some of the proceeds of police raids in Queens on May 23 connected to a lengthy drug and gun sale investigation.
Others charged on May 23 included
Corona’s Joseph “Jay” Payamps, 23,
who allegedly had $62,337 in cash and
240 grams of cocaine inside his residence
during a police raid on Wednesday
morning. Th e fi ve additional alleged
gang members arrested on Wednesday
included Leslie Julbe, 39, of College
Point; Daniel “D” Cepeda, 30, of Jackson
Heights; Raymond “Delivery” Ferreira,
19, of College Point; Abel “Flaco” Diaz,
27, of Corona; and Jacinto Cabral, 41, of
Corona.
Th e raids stemmed from an 20-month
investigation into drug and gun sales in
Corona, Elmhurst and Jackson Heights
dating back to August of 2016. Law
enforcement agents used court-authorized
surveillance methods and employed
undercover offi cers who wound up making
more than 35 drug purchases and
three gun transactions.
Th ose sales, combined with the raids,
resulted in the recovery of two loaded
9mm fi rearms, a loaded .22-caliber handgun,
a stun gun and quantities of cocaine,
Tramadol pills, marijuana and eight vehicles.
Authorities also recovered heroin
laced with Fentanyl — the potent, synthetic
painkiller that has contributed to
Photo via Twitter/@NYPDNews
the opioid crisis gripping Queens and the
United States.
Additionally, Brown announced the
arrest of fi ve individuals charged as a
result of the court-authorized searches:
Rafael Castillo, 50, of East Elmhurst;
Damaris Castillo, 42, of East Elmhurst;
Daniella Zamoria, 24, of Whitestone; Eva
Ferreira, 26, of College Point; and Randy
Fernandez, 24, of East Elmhurst. All of
them face lesser charges of criminal possession
of a controlled substance, among
other counts.
Read more about this story on QNS.
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