On Sept. 18, police in New York detained 34 people and indicted seven others in a series of drug raids. According to police, heroin and cocaine with a street value of nearly $1 million was seized from various residences in Syracuse during what was called “Operation Horseback.” The raids were reportedly the result of a nine-month investigation into two alleged drug rings by state police, Syracuse police and the Attorney General’s Statewide Organized Crime Task Force.
Three of the accused individuals have received drug charges that could lead to the potential of being handed a life sentence in prison. According to sources, a charge of operating as a major trafficker is apparently the only federal narcotics charge in New York with such a severe maximum sentence.
After obtaining drugs in bulk quantities, the alleged major traffickers are accused of selling those drugs to mid-level dealers. The mid-level dealers would allegedly make sales to other drug dealers or customers after breaking the drugs into smaller quantities. Authorities believe that some of the drugs were brought into Syracuse from Puerto Rico, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. In addition to heroin and cocaine, police seized three guns and 100 OxyContin pills while executing the search warrants.
A criminal defense attorney might be able to assist individuals who have been charged in connection with a large-scale drug ring. For instance, an attorney may investigate the nature of the police raid to determine if any evidence is eligible to be suppressed as a result of improper police behavior.
Source: syracuse.com, “Nearly $1 million in drugs taken off Syracuse streets by months-long drug investigation“, Jolene Almendarez, September 19, 2014