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Westchester County District Attorney Anthony Scarpino, Jr., announced the takedown of the ring working out of Mount Vernon and the Bronx, which led to the arrests of 11 men on a 68-count indictment.
Ten of the suspects were arrested and arraigned in Westchester County Court on Thursday, April 11 and face charges that include enterprise corruption, operating as a major trafficker, conspiracy, and criminal sale and possession of heroin and fentanyl. Willie “Unique” Rutherford was already in jail and Victor “Vic” Justice remains at large.
While serving the search warrants, 1.5 kilograms of loose heroin, a half kilo of cocaine, 6,000 bags of heroin with the enterprise stamp-a-red smiley face, $25,000 cash and a loaded .38 caliber revolver were seized. The bust comes following a seven-month multi-agency police investigation.
“This is a major hit on narcotics trafficking in Westchester County,” Scarpino stated. “charges. Keeping deadly drugs like heroin and fentanyl out of the pipeline can save lives and stop the collateral violence and criminal activity that goes with it. Going after these enterprises and organizations does not stop here. This office is dedicated to fighting the opioid crisis on all fronts before it takes more lives, young and old, from the families of Westchester.”
Those charged were:
- Walter “T” Daniels, 55;
- Keith “Blaze” Hollar, 56;
- Joshua “H” Quinones, 40;
- James “Teeko” Hewlin, 70;
- Roy “Fox” Rogers, 63;
- Leon “Zack” Brooks, 53;
- Samuel “Junior” Forbes, 51;
- Roderick “Juju” Rivera, 53;
- Edvin Morales, 29;
- William “Unique” Rutherford, 57;
- Victor “Vic” Justice, 46;
- Lamont Killian, 64.
The indictment alleges that between Oct. 4 last year and March 22, Daniels and Hollar acted as directors of the “Daniels Controlled Substance Organization (DCSO), an operation that sold heroin and fentanyl and collected more than $75,000 in profit.
Scarpino said that the brand stamp on their drug packaging was a red smiley face logo. Quinones sold and profited from the drug sales. Hollar and Quinones have been charged with operating as a major trafficker and second-degree conspiracy.
Additionally, each of the suspects has been charged with enterprise corruption, multiple counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance, criminal possession of a controlled substance and conspiracy.
According to Scarpino, the criminal enterprise consisted of a “boss,” a “lieutenant,” a “supplier,” a “stash house guard,” and numerous “sellers.” The “boss” and “lieutenant” oversaw the day-to-day operations of the enterprise, set the prices for the drugs sold by the enterprise and placed orders and purchased drugs from the supplier.
Scarpino said Daniels acted as the “boss” of the operation and controlled daily operation, including communicating and meeting with Quinones, who supplied the heroin and fentanyl. Daniels set the prices of the drugs sold and Hollar was the lieutenant of the DCSO and acted as an interim leader as of December last year. Hollar was tasked with stocking the DCSO’s stash house and routinely collected drug money that was kept there. He also allegedly sold heroin and fentanyl on the streets.
Hewlin alleged controlled access to the stash house, which was inside his apartment. He also supplied dealers with heroin and fentanyl and kept track of proceeds from drug sales. Rogers, Rivers, Brooks, Forbes, Morales, Rutherford, Justice, Killian and others acted as dealers, providing bundles of drugs to customers.
“We have proven that the new leadership of Mount Vernon is serious about rooting out illegal guns and drugs from our safe streets,” new Mount Vernon Police Commissioner Robert Scott said. “Months of vigilance by the Mount Vernon Police Department rallied multiple agencies to collaborate and eradicate access to fentanyl-laced heroin, the prime culprit in causing opioid overdoses throughout America.”
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