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Joseph Calixte, of Brooklyn, was sentenced to 10 to 12 years in prison, followed by five years of post-release supervision after being convicted at trial for his role in the drug smuggling ring.
Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas announced that Calixte was convicted last year of first-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and second-degree conspiracy, both felonies. The trial lasted seven weeks and the jury deliberated for less than four days.
Singas said that on July 4, 2017, Calixte’s vehicle was stopped by investigators on the Southern State Parkway with two kilograms of cocaine hidden inside a compartment in the trunk.
According to Singas, the stop and Calixte’s arrest were a calculated move as part of a six-month investigation into a multi-state heroin and cocaine smuggling ring that involved 18 others, all but one of whom have already pleaded guilty.
Calixte was considered a middle man in the operation, Singas said, distributing between three and five kilograms of cocaine and heroin a week throughout the tri-state area, Chicago, Maine, Maryland, and Virginia. The group’s profits ranged from $200,000 to $300,000 a week.
Most of the suspects were arrested in October 2017. The sting operation resulted in the seizure of multiple firearms and the arrest and convictions of some defendants with records that include prior violent felony convictions, Singas noted.
“This massive investigation stopped a multi-state drug trafficking ring from pumping huge quantities of cocaine and deadly heroin into our communities,” Singas said. “While we focus on drug treatment for those fighting addiction, we aggressively prosecute and seek tough sentences for traffickers like this defendant. Those who profit from selling poison in Nassau County will be held accountable.”
Singas made note that “the case was named Operation Gillespie in honor of NCDA Special Investigator William Gillespie, who passed away on July 4, 2017, at the age of 56, shortly after arresting (Calixte.)
“Billy dedicated his life to protecting others as a decorated member of the NYPD and as an NCDA investigator. Billy made invaluable contributions to this case and thousands of others throughout his distinguished career, and we miss our valued colleague and dear friend.”
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