Major New York Investigation seizes $350,000 in Drugs, Five Handguns, and $67,000 in Cash – 26 individuals Charged with 276 crimes, including Jahrell Friday, charged as leader of the Organized Crime Network.
Story by Louis H.
New York Attorney General Letitia James announced the dismantling of a major drug ring operating across the Capital Region and Hudson Valley. The network distributed large quantities of powder cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl across multiple counties. Jahrell Friday, 39, of Albany, served as a central figure in the illegal drug distribution network. He worked alongside Leesa Walker, Kevon Gordon, Marcella Anastasio, Lauren Cave, Mark Herbert II, Cedar Lofland, Jacob Tesch, and others to move heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine throughout the Capital Region. Friday sourced narcotics from Albany-based suppliers Jayshaun Young and Thomas Doutsis and also attempted to import drugs from California through the mail. One intercepted package contained a kilogram of cocaine hidden inside Christmas Presents and children’s clothing. Defendants used code words in communication – “Fernando” for fentanyl and “dog food” for heroin.
The AG’s Organized Crime Task Force recovered over five kilograms of cocaine and roughly 1.2 kilograms of heroin laced with fentanyl – drugs with a combined street value of approximately $350,000. Investigators also seized five handguns and $67,000 in cash. In total, 26 individuals were charged with 276 crimes, tied to trafficking activity spanning Albany, Bronx, Columbia, Greene, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Ulster and Westchester counties. “These traffickers were flooding our communities with cocaine and a deadly combination of heroin and fentanyl,” said the Attorney General James. “As New York continues its fight against the opioid crisis, my office will use every tool at its disposal to get dangerous narcotics off our streets” Stated AG James.
The Investigation
The year-long investigation was led by the NY Attorney Generals Organized Crime Task Force in partnership with the New York State Police, the Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bethlehem Police Department. It involved covert surveillance and hundreds of hours of wiretaps across more than two dozen target phones. Alex Umpierre and Alcides Garcia, both of the Bronx, supplied cocaine to Young, who transported it from the Bronx to Albany for Mr. Friday’s network. Both are charged with Operating as a Major Trafficker, which carries a mandatory life sentence. Alcides Garcia used a Bronx bodega on Arthur Avenue as a distribution point. During the investigation, Alex Umpierre was caught on a wiretap admitting he was cooking crack cocaine in his apartment – an incident that destroyed $2,000 worth of cocaine and filled his apartment with crack smoke. A search of Alex Umpierre’s home recovered three handguns. The 276-count indictment, unsealed in Albany County court, includes multiples counts of Criminal Sale and Criminal possession of a controlled substance (class A, B, C, and D Felonies), as well as Conspiracy in the second degree (class B felony). Mark Herbert II also faces Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree for a vehicle theft in Bethlehem New York.
The individuals charged in the indictment include,
- Nicole Alberts, 30, of Ravena, NY
- Marcella Anastasio, 46, of Albany, NY
- Matthew Bell, 57, of Albany, NY
- Lauren Cave, 43, of Hoosick Falls, NY
- Tyrun Covington, 51, of Rensselaer, NY
- Thomas Doutsis, 29, of Albany, NY
- Todd Fordley, 38, of Albany, NY
- Jahrell Friday, 39, of Albany, NY
- Alcides Garcia, 55, of Bronx, NY
- Kevon Gordon, 32, of Rensselaer, NY
- Mark E. Hebert II, 42, of Cohoes, NY
- Jorge Hernandez, 28, of Schenectady, NY
- Gary Holmes, 41, of Albany, NY
- Cedar Lofland, 53, of Queensbury, NY
- Brenda Patterson, 59, of Earlton, NY
- Wilbert Reynoso, 32, of the Bronx, NY
- Reed Simmons, 25, of East Chatham, NY
- David Slurff, 53, of East Greenbush, NY
- Anthony Tedesco, 44, of Albany, NY
- Jacob Tesch, 43, of Troy, NY
- Alex Umpierre, 41, of the Bronx, NY
- Leesa Walker, 34, of Albany, NY
- Michael Wescott, 51, of Gansevoort, NY
- Errol Williams, 36, of Albany, NY
- Jamel Young, 37, of Waterbury, CT
- Jayshaun Young, 30, of Albany, NY
Readers are remined that all persons are presumed innocent unless found guilty in a court of law.
