NEW YORK – Among biggest busts in Long Island history, officials say, “Operation Bundle Up” led to the indictment of thirty-six people, including a pregnant woman and a volunteer firefighter, on Tuesday, Apr. 11. The alleged drug dealers were named the “110 Crew” by investigators as their heroin-distribution ring ran along Route 110, a popular service road through Nassau and Suffolk counties.
“These individuals turned Route 110 into their own personal heroin highway,” Greek-American Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas said at a press conference.
The drug operation is linked to one fatality in Suffolk County and at least 20 non-fatal overdoses, officials said. A 9-month-long investigation led to the arrests.
Singas said these distributors sold heroin to hundreds of people every day in parking lots all along Route 110 outside of hotels, restaurants, strip malls, retailers, and coffee shops. These dealers stood out from other dealers for the boldness of their operation, Singas noted. The “110 Crew,” however, was “unusually flamboyant and overt in their behavior,” Singas said.
They drove high-end vehicles, including a Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Maserati and a Lamborghini when meeting their customers at all hours of the day, including the busiest hours of the day, Singas said.
“They even counted cash and measured out their products in broad daylight,” she pointed out.
Working as a network, often in shifts, to cover large areas, the dealers allegedly collected tens of thousands of dollars each week. The DA estimates the “110 Crew” sold approximately 4,000 individual bags of heroin a week, worth about $40,000 to $50,000.
On Tuesday, with 15 search warrants, the Nassau County Police, Suffolk County Police, and New York State troopers recovered cash, guns, cars, and drugs including an AK-47 assault rifle, three shotguns, three semi-automatic handguns, 5,000 decks of heroin, crack cocaine, and three ounces of cocaine. Among the 18 vehicles recovered were a Range Rover, Porsche, Cadillac and BMW; four had traps- hidden compartments for storing drugs.
Charged with operating as a major trafficker, 6 of the 36 indicted in the 59-count indictment face a sentence of 15 years to life. Officials said the defendants are from all walks of life; 4 women and 32 men, ages 18 to 52 years old.
Among those indicted were a 7-months pregnant woman, a volunteer firefighter, a drug counselor, and a celebrity correspondent who reportedly worked with Howard Stern and People Magazine, officials said. Some of the “110 Crew” members are from the “Neez” gang, a subset of the Bloods gang, officials noted.
The three-tier operation allegedly had 3 suppliers at the top known as the “Papis,” 15 distributors known as “The 110 Crew,” and 18 resellers who worked on their own.
Large amounts of heroin were allegedly stored in houses in Farmingdale, Lindenhurst, West Babylon, and Bay Shore with a house in North Amityville as the main distribution center. The Papis sold sleeves of heroin with 10 bundles or 100 individual bags to the 110 Crew. The operation was named “Operation Bundle Up” for the large number of heroin bundles sold every day, officials noted.
“This is the poison that fed the addiction of hundreds, or even thousands of our neighbors, friends and relatives,” Singas said.
Official said the investigation is ongoing and more charges and arrests are expected.
The Nassau County District Attorney, the Nassau County Police Department, Suffolk County Police Department, New York State Police, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation with over 300 officers and investigators contributing to the bust.
“Today’s arrests culminate an intense multi-jurisdictional investigation with the Long Island Heroin Task Force to eradicate drugs and those who sell them from our neighborhoods,” said Nassau County Police Commissioner Thomas Krumpter.
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