New York Cocaine “Pipeline” Closed for Business

Bad news, coke heads: A massive, statewide cocaine bust has shut down a cocaine “pipeline” that moved cocaine from New York City to multiple locations in Upstate America.

In all, 39 people were arrested, and authorities seized more than $1 million worth of cocaine in what law-enforcement officials have dubbed “Operation Southbound.”

According to the New York State Attorney General’s office, authorities conducted a series of raids early this morning and confiscated more than 10 kilograms of cocaine from the alleged dealers.

The AG’s office says the investigation into the coke “pipeline”
started nine months ago, and targeted three different drug-trafficking
rings.

In the first drug “network,” authorities say Rayshonn
Hester was selling large amounts of cocaine to buyers in Cortland.

“Investigators then uncovered a chain of suppliers and
ultimately established that John Galan of Syracuse was supplying several
middlemen — Jimmy Peña of the New York City area and Ricardo
Martino-Serrano (a/k/a Javier Ricardo or Muneco) of Syracuse — that
were linked to Hester,” the AG’s office says.

Authorities cite the following examples:

– Police stopped Rayshonn Hester and Toshiro Scott as they
traveled from Syracuse toward Cortland with 140 bags of cocaine
destined for sale in Cortland.

– In another instance, investigators seized a kilogram of
cocaine from Carlos Orta who was a cocaine reseller, after they watched
Orta’s source, John Galan place the cocaine in a Mercedes Benz that was
owned and operated by Orta.

– In another instance, middleman Martino-Serrano arranged
with supplier John Galan and middleman Jimmy Peña to obtain multiple
kilograms of cocaine from a source in Bayonne, New Jersey (near New York
City). But law-enforcement officers in Bayonne seized 351 kilograms of
cocaine worth more than $13 million wholesale from Martino-Serrano’s
suppliers before their transaction was completed.

– In another instance, Martino-Serrano arranged for Galan and
Peña to obtain nine kilograms of cocaine from Oscar Morales in Buffalo, and
investigators were able to seize the cocaine.

The second network, authorities say, was led by Corey Grier and
Termaine Kirby. That “pipeline” originated from a man named Kamar
Davidson, of Brooklyn.

As for this network, the AG’s office says it found that Davidson sent Grier to the Fort Drum
area in Jefferson County and “directed him to sell seven ounces of
cocaine to three separate individuals and provided him with a half ounce
of cocaine as payment for his service.”

Grier then brought the blow back
to Cortland to sell.

The third network also was based in Cortland, and also used the services of Corey Grier.

“These elaborate drug networks polluted our communities
through a pipeline of illegal drugs that allowed traffickers to bring
dangerous narcotics from New York City and Buffalo to Central and
Northern New York. Operation Southbound put an end to this deadly drug
distribution chain, and now the perpetrators will be brought to justice,”
Attorney General Eric Schneiderman says.

The 39 people charged in the three separate indictments include the following:

DONALD ABRAMS – Syracuse, NY

RAVAUGHN BAKER – Syracuse, NY

LYLE CAMIGE – Felts Mills, NY

TERRANCE CARTER – Syracuse, NY

JOSEPH CROSSON – Cortland, NY

KAMAR DAVIDSON – Brooklyn, NY

ALEXANDER GALAN – Syracuse, NY

JOHN GALAN – Syracuse, NY

DANIELLE GARROW – Cortland, NY

TAMARA GLOVER – Cortland, NY

GERALDO GONZALEZ – Syracuse, NY

SHANE GRANGER – Cortland, NY

COREY D. GRIER – New York City

CORNELIUS HATHAWAY – Cortland, NY

RAYSHONN HESTER – Currently in state prison

DARREN HIGHTOWER – Syracuse, NY

GAGE A HILL – Cortland, NY

CHARLOTTE HOWARD – Cortland, NY

TONY KING – Syracuse, NY

TERMAINE KIRBY – Cortland, NY

GEORGE MACON – Cortland, NY

RICARDO MARTINO-SERRANO – Syracuse, NY

OSCAR MORALES – Buffalo, NY

DEBORAH OLIVA – Cortland, NY

SANTOS OLIVER – Pitcher, NY

CARLOS ORTA – Solvay, NY

JIMMY PEŇA – Bronx, NY

BILLY PRINGLE – Syracuse, NY

TOSHIRO SCOTT – Syracuse, NY

LISA SPECTOR – Cortland, NY

GERRY LEE STEWART – Cortland, NY

LISSETTE TEJEDA – Solvay, NY

ANDRE WALKER – Cortland, NY

RUSH WALTS – Evans Mills, NY

KASSANDRA WHITNEY – Mexico, NY

NADINE WILLIAMS – Syracuse, NY

RAYMOND WILLIAMS – Syracuse, NY

TERRANCE WILLIAMS – Syracuse, NY

JESSICA WOODARD – Cortland, NY