NIKE JORDANS PAID FOR HEROIN

Cops bust massive Long Island heroin ring that took sneakers as payments: DA

By Andrew Denney

New York Post
December 17, 2019

More than a dozen people have been charged for their alleged involvement in a Long Island heroin syndicate that raked in $30,000 in weekly profits — including a pair of sneakerhead kingpins who sometimes took pairs of Jordans as payment, authorities said Tuesday.

The Nassau County District Attorney’s office said it has indicted 15 people for their involvement in the ring, which sold between 13,000 and 26,000 doses of heroin per month and has been tied to 15 overdoses — three of which were fatal.

The alleged ringleaders, Brooklynites Luis Rivera and Orlando Rodriguez, allegedly ran the syndicate for six years, prosecutors say.

Authorities conducted raids at their shared apartment in East New York on Dec. 13, where they found 175 pairs of Jordans, $383,000 in cash and a large stash of heroin valued at $325,000.

Nassau County DA spokeswoman Miriam Sholder told The Post that prosecutors believe Rivera and Rodriguez took the sneakers as payment for their product.

During a four-month investigation, authorities allege Rivera and Rodriguez dropped their product off to 13 street-level dealers, also named in the indictment, at the Gateway Shopping Center in East New York.

From there, the dealers took the merchandise east and sold it to customers in Nassau and Suffolk counties, prosecutors say.

In addition to the pair’s apartment, police also raided a stash house on 72nd Road in Flushing, Queens, and seized money and drugs from two safety deposit boxes and a Honda Pilot that the duo allegedly used to traffic drugs, prosecutors said.

All told, police seized a combined $1.2 million worth of heroin and $1.2 million in cash, prosecutors said.

Nassau County DA Madeline Singas called the drug syndicate the “largest known heroin trafficking operation” in Nassau County.

“Heroin from this syndicate has been linked to at least three fatal overdoses, and we know that putting these alleged traffickers out of business will save lives,” Singas said in a statement.

Rivera, Rodriguez and seven other defendants in the indictment were arraigned Monday before a Nassau County judge. Rivera, Rodriguez and alleged dealer Joseph Melito were held without bail while other defendants were released.

Rivera, Rodriguez and Melito are each charged with operating as major traffickers and other distribution charges. If convicted they face 25 years to life in prison.

Lawyers for the three did not immediately respond to requests for comment.