AG announces guilty pleas in Capital Region drug trafficking ring
Seen here are drugs recovered from a major takedown of a Capital Region ring. At left, are packages of heroin and fentanyl. At top right, are weapons recovered and at bottom right, are packets of cocaine.
All 25 defendants charged in a drug trafficking ring that distributed heroin, fentanyl and cocaine throughout the Capital Region have pleaded guilty, the Attorney General’s Office announced on Tuesday.
The suspects were indicted in November 2023 and police seized more than three kilograms of cocaine and around 40 grams of heroin laced with fentanyl. The combined street value is about $350,000.
One of the figures in the operation was Efrain Acevado, who sold drugs out of his Troy restaurant named “El Coqui” and stored narcotics and proceeds from the operation.
Alexander Torres and Yamillet Galarza were key figures in the ring and worked together to distribute heroin, fentanyl and cocaine in Rensselaer County, according to prosecutors. Torres had four different sources for the cocaine and narcotics. He purchased heroin laced with fentanyl from a Bronx dealer who provided custom-designed bags with the phrase “American Gangster” stamped on them.
Acevedo has pleaded guilty and faces a maximum sentence of 14 years in state prison.
The first defendant was sentenced on Tuesday. Elvis Colon, a heroin and fentanyl trafficker in Rensselaer County, who got 12 ½ to 15 years in prison.
The following defendants have also pleaded guilty:
- Raul Baez, Schenectady
- Erick Baez, Schenectady
- Jose Cintron, Troy
- Javier Colon, Philadelphia
- Mercedes Danahy, Troy
- James Foley, Troy
- Jack Frazier, Troy
- Jose Galarza, Troy
- Yamillet Galarza, Troy
- Vladimir Guzman Grullon, Bronx
- David Harden, Troy
- Mark House, Troy
- Karim Little, Troy,
- Jordan McCullen, Troy
- Jahtiek Milisci, Troy,
- Beau Moreau, Schenectady
- Michael Nelson, Troy
- Tracy Taylor, Troy
- Denzel Timot, Troy
- Alexander Torres, Troy
- Israel Vasquez, Troy
- Abner Velasquez, Holyoke, Mass
- David Venson, Troy
Rensselaer County District Attorney Mary Pat Donnelly and the Schenectady County Drug Task Force assisted in the investigation.
“We are committed to ending the opioid crisis in our state, and that means addressing this problem from every angle, including stopping dangerous drug traffickers who bring fentanyl into our communities,” said Attorney General James in a statement. “This drug trafficking ring ran a widespread network to sell hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of narcotics, and now they are being brought to justice. I thank all of our partners in this investigation for their hard work to protect our communities and keep New Yorkers safe.”