STAPLETON — A drug sting in Stapleton led to the arrest of 10 dealers who sold heroin and cocaine in the neighborhood, District Attorney Michael McMahon announced Wednesday.
The dealers — along with three people who had drugs and paraphernalia on them — were arrested last week as part of a 10-month investigation into dealing in and around Stapleton, McMahon said.
"These dealers peddled poison in communities that are fed up with the influx of drugs on their streets," McMahon said in a statement. "This takedown is the first of many targeted drug sweeps my office will be doing with the NYPD in a concentrated effort to reclaim our borough from the plague of heroin that has ensnared it for too long."
McMahon, who started as DA this month, said the arrests should also serve as a warning to other dealers in the borough.
"We will be taking back our neighborhoods from your ilk, one street corner at a time if need be," McMahon said. "As far as I'm concerned, one drug sale is too many."
The investigation dubbed "Operation Hit the Town" — a reference to taking a "hit" of heroin and Stapleton's nickname of "the Town" among dealers — started in March and nabbed dealers who sold drugs around Stapleton, Port Richmond, West Brighton, Tompkinsville and Arlington Terrace.
The sting led to the arrest of suppliers Jose Santos and Ramon Pantaleon and dealers — some who sold together — Daniel Cordero, Joel Badillo, Felix Vasquez, Alberto Cornett, Ronald Bell, William Shedrick, Daniel Amado and Carlos Rivera, the DA said.
They were arraigned and charged with criminal sale of a controlled substance and criminal possession of a controlled substance, according to the DA.
Nearly all the suspects had previous arrests, including Santos, who went to jail four times for drug related charges; Cornett, who served time for attempted robbery; and Shedrick, who went to prison for a drug-related conviction.
Officers found quantities of cocaine, heroin, marijuana and suboxone as part of warrants executed at six locations during the sweep, along with materials to pack the drugs including a scale, plastic bags and glassine envelopes.
Iris Carillo, Jacqueline Smith and Sonia Mora were also arrested during the search, McMahon said. They were all charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, the DA said.
