Operation Believe It or Not Arrest Six in Massena

After a year long investigation, the Massena Village police, St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s deputies and Drug Task Force members, NY State police and officers from federal agencies arrested members of the Bronx-based gang “18 Park Young Gun Killaz” for the distribution of cocaine and heroin, This arrest included the gang’s leader.

The multi-agency bust on Wednesday made one arrest in Massena, four arrests in Norfolk, and the arrest of a Massena resident located in Verona. The six arrests, three men and three women, were on indictments on charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance issued out of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of New York.

Between the hours of 6 and 7 a.m. law enforcement officials were seen with at least five people in custody, bringing them in for processing at a federal building in the village. They are expected to be arraigned on charges in federal court. There are an additional 25 indictments that are being executed in New York City, issued from the Southern District Court of New York as part of “Operation Believe it or Not,”

“Operation Believe it or Not started with the first house we investigated on Ripley Street,” Mr. LaBrake said, “We got the gang leader who was picked up in Norfolk. It’s another pipeline that we have shut down that has been bringing drugs into Massena from New York City.”

The six arrests, include:

Mr. Rodriguez, aka “Javi” aka “Big Guy,” aka “Big Man,” aka “Babs,” aka “Bebz,” aka “Bebo;”

Ricardo Garcia, aka “Bucky,” 24, of New York City;

Tina Fumano, 42, of Massena;

Cecilia Lindsey, aka “Cece,” 28, of Massena;

Nicole Francis, 27, of Norwood; and

William Rochefort, 21, of Massena.

With the six arrests Wednesday, Mr. LaBrake said all the indictments have been satisfied; however, the investigation is still ongoing and additional indictments related to the drug ring could be issued.

Each was indicted on charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute a controlled substance, issued out of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of New York.

The conspiracy charge brings a minimum of 5 years in prison and a maximum of 40 years with a maximum fine of $5 million, Massena Village Police Chief Mark E. LaBrake said.