47 people indicted in major Capital Region drug, gun bust

WNYT Staff

Attorney General Letitia James says 47 people have been indicted on more than 700 counts related to illegal drugs and guns in several Capital Region counties.

James says this is the result of a yearlong investigation involving multiple law enforcement agencies, including Albany Police.

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Albany’s police chief says these indictments and arrests will help bring calm to the streets of Albany.

As of the press conference Thursday afternoon, between 25 and 30 of those named in the investigation have been picked up and taken into custody.

Some of what investigators say was seized in the investigation.[Attorney General Letitia James]

Nine guns have been seized.

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The AG’s office says 1.2 kilograms of cocaine, 140 grams of heroin mixed with fentanyl, oxycodone and thousands of dollars in cash have all been seized by police.

The 47 people indicted are associated with two different trafficking networks or gangs.

The AG refers to one as the Uptown Associates Gang, led by 43-year-old Jamar Brayboy of Albany. The other is the Downtown Associates, led by 29-year-old Tyshawn Morris of Schenectady. The exact ties of all these individuals and specific incidents they’ve been involved in were not revealed.

Authorities say much of the recent gun violence across the capital city and region may be linked to these groups.

James says one subset of the 47 people includes a group of young men Albany Police Chief Eric Hawkins often refers to.

Hear what Hawkins says this all means for Albany’s safety by watching the video of Jacquie Slater’s story.

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Here’s a list of the people indicted:

  • DARRELL ANDERSON, 29 years old, Schenectady, NY
  • BENJAMIN BADGLEY, 29 years old, Clinton, NY
  • ANDERSON BENOIT, A/K/A “MALI,” 39 years old, Rutland, VT
  • RONALD BERG, 39 years old, Schenectady, NY
  • JAMAR BRAYBOY, A/K/A “UN,” 43 years old, Albany, NY
  • JOHN CHAPMAN, 51 years old, Albany, NY
  • JESSIE CORNER, 47 years old, Albany, NY
  • NIEZIER ELLIS, A/K/A “NEECHO,” 26 years old, Albany, NY
  • RONALD EVANS, A/K/A “GOTTI,” 44 years old, Albany, NY
  • MANIEF FIELDS, 27 years old, Albany, NY
  • DEREK GEORGE, 29 years old, Albany, NY
  • ANTHONY GOLSON, A/K/A “EYE,” 41 years old, Albany, NY
  • FREDERICK HEIDELMARK, 48 years old, Albany, NY
  • THOMAS HEMMINGWAY, 41 years old, Albany, NY
  • DANIEL INGERSOLL, 38 years old, Albany, NY
  • MAZENE LACY, 41 years old, Albany, NY
  • CHRISTINA LEWIS, 52 years old, Rensselaer, NY
  • DONTRAY LUNDAY, 41 years old, Schenectady, NY
  • ERICA MASON, 38 years old, Warren, NY
  • JORGE MENDEZ, A/K/A “KUSHIE SUNOCO,” 27 years old, Albany, NY
  • JOSE MILLER, 52 years old, Albany, NY
  • TYSHWAN MORRIS, A/K/A “MAC,” 29 years old, Schenectady, NY
  • LUIS NAVARRO, A/K/A “LV,” 34 years old, Schenectady, NY
  • JOEMAR NUNEZ, 24 years old, Albany, NY
  • JOSUE NUNEZ, A/K/A “SWAY,” 40 years old, Albany, NY
  • RONALD PERSER, 69 years old, Albany, NY
  • RIZEL SIMS, 31 years old, Montgomery, NY
  • EMMANUEL SMITH, 50 years old, Warren, NY
  • ANGEL SOTO, 33 years old, Albany, NY
  • THERESA STANLEY, 38 years old, Albany, NY
  • MARCUS VILLANO, 50 years old, Schenectady, NY
  • KACY WEAVER, 47 years old, Albany, NY
  • FREDERICK WILLIAMS, 32 years old, Albany, NY
  • KAYONTEE BARTEE, 23 years old, Albany, NY
  • PRINCE CURETON, 28 years old, Albany, NY
  • PEDRO DAVILA, 26 years old, Albany, NY
  • EL-SHAQUILLE DOUGLAS, A/K/A “DOLO”, 27 years old, Albany, NY
  • ALVIN FOY, A/K/A “BHIP”, A/K/A “CHIP”, 18 years old, Albany, NY
  • DREW GREENE, A/K/A/ “DRIZZY”, A/K/A “TAY K”, A/K/A “SPRAY”, 19 years old, Albany, NY
  • NICHOLAS HIGGINS, A/K/A “SLICK”, 28 years old, Albany, NY
  • KEION KIRKLEY, A/K/A “HIT”, 22 years old, Albany, NY
  • JAHMERE MANNING, A/K/A “SPLASH”, 19 years old, Albany, NY
  • ZAEQUIAL SHAW, 19 years old, Albany, NY
  • KYMALE THOMPSON, A/K/A “GLO”, 18 years old, Albany, NY
  • NEYLON WAGNER, A/K/A “LOTO”, 19 years old, Schenectady, NY
  • DAION MORRIS, 28 years old, Rensselaer, NY, was charged in a separate, related indictment that was unsealed today containing 13 counts, charging him with Criminal Sale of a Controlled substance (class B felony).
  • ESHAWN BERKLEY, 23 years old, Albany, NY, was charged in a separate, related indictment that was unsealed today containing 36 counts, charging him with Criminal Possession of a Weapon (C, D, and E felonies).