Photo Courtesy of NYPD
Investigators allegedly seized a money counter, a scale, thousands in cash, and a firearm, among other items as a result of the probe.
By Forum Staff
An undercover investigation spanning nearly one year, has led to the arrest of 13 Queens’ residents on drug related charges. Authorities confirm that police officers conducted various drug buys involving some the defendants between December 2016 and September 2017.
Law enforcement officials armed with court authorized search warrants performed a sweeping arrest of 11 defendants on October 13, identified as Trevor Henry, Shailendra Mangaroo and his father Roopchan Mangaroo, Mariss Masih, Eric Ranglall, Patrick Diaz, Jason Noriega, Amanda Singer, Donna Costello and brothers Daianand Ramroop and Ravindha Ramroop. They were arraigned in Queens Criminal Court on eight separate criminal complaints.
Two additional defendants were arrested separately and have been identified as Jeffrey Rosa and Alex Padilla, who were arraigned on two separate criminal complaints.
The arrests were the result of a joint undertaking between the NYPD’s Tactical Narcotics Team utilizing undercover NYPD detectives, after they made multiple successful narcotics purchases on at least 34 separate occasions between December 2016 and September 2017.
Undercover detectives engaged in numerous narcotics-related conversations with defendants Henry, Masih, Ranglall, Padilla, Daianand Ramroop and Ravindha Ramroop in which meetings were arranged. During the meetings, cash was allegedly exchanged for cocaine, marijuana and heroin – some containing Fentanyl.
According to the criminal complaints, police executed seven court-authorized search warrants on residences and vehicles in the Jamaica, Queens Village, Hollis and South Richmond Hill neighborhoods of Queens.
During their searches police seized a money counter, a scale with heroin residue, a Bloods street gang book, an electric stun gun, a ledger and nearly $3,000 in cash. Police also found a loaded .40 caliber Smith & Wesson firearm that was reported stolen in January 2016 from a DeKalb County law enforcement officer in defendant Henry’s car.
Among the narcotics and weapons found in the raid were heroin, marijuana, cocaine, crack cocaine, alprazolam pills, zolpidem pills, two air pistols, the .40 caliber Smith & Wesson gun, MDMA as well as cash and drug paraphernalia.
District Attorney Brown said, “A morning wake-up call by the police armed with court authorized search warrants on Friday the 13 resulted in the arrest of 11 Queens County residents. My office will continue to aggressively track down those who make it their business to traffic in drugs in Queens County.”
