By Shayna Jacobs
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN SUPREME COURT — An experienced criminal judge did not buy a plea for sympathy Tuesday from a man who claimed a drug addiction was the reason he ran a profitable cocaine business based in Hamilton Heights.
The self-admitted narcotics dealer, Alvin Fraser, told veteran judge Edward McLaughlin he suffered from a cocaine problem, but the judge said a true drug abuser could not have captained such a large operation while under the influence.
"Access to this amount of drugs is not something a person who is severely distracted or impeded could possibly accomplish," McLaughlin said.
Fraser was sentenced to 17 years in state prison, instead of the 12 years behind bars his attorney requested.
McLaughlin said Fraser, 30, and his family members, who knew he was somehow making money without being gainfully employed, were well aware of his illicit business.
"They knew and you knew what you were doing on a daily basis," said the 37-year criminal judge.
Fraser was one of 12 employees and customers of the drug ring who have been sentenced.
The ring's central operations were based out of 83 Hamilton Place, between West 140th and 141st Streets, although some sales took place at the Polo Grounds Housing Project and near the Rucker Park basketball courts, according to court documents.
Fraser's operation trafficked four to five kilos of cocaine weekly to buyers in upper Manhattan and the tri-state area, documents said. He made $10,000 to $15,000 per week off the deals, though he netted less money because he paid his suppliers directly.
