City police say (clockwise from upper left) Iris Blanco-Rivera, 30; Carlos Juan Gonzalez Diaz, 30; Alexander Mercado, 35; and Rolando Garcia, 50, were arrested during drug raids at 539 Crescent St. and 842 Lafayette St. on Tuesday, March 3, 2015.

JAMESTOWN – The Jamestown Police Department is reporting that four individuals were arrested Tuesday following two separate drug investigations in the city.

Police say during a raid at 539 Crescent St., three bundles of heroin, a quantity of powder cocaine, prescription pills, and large amount of cash were recovered. Arrested and taken into custody were:

• Iris Blanco-Rivera, 30 – charged with 3rd degree criminal possession and criminal using drug paraphernalia;
• Carlos Juan Gonzalez Diaz, 30 – charged with 7th degree criminal possession of a controlled substance;
• and Rolando Garcia, 50 – charged with obstruction for allegedly struggling with police during the raid.

A second raid was also conducted at 842 Lafayette St., where 2 bundles of heroin and a quantity of cash were recovered.

Arrested at the scene was 35 year-old Alexander Mercado, who was charged with 3rd degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

All four were taken into custody and are awaiting arraignment in the city jail. Some media outlets are also reporting that police were able to recover heroin that was in pink packaging – the same type of packaging as the heroin that reportedly led to three overdoses last week, one of which being fatal.

Police say the arrests were conducted by the Jamestown Metro Task Force, which includes the Jamestown, Ellicott and the NY State Police.

As part of a multi-agency investigation code-named Operation Horseback, state, federal and local law enforcement agents led by Attorney General Schneiderman’s Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF), New York State Police’s CNET and the Jamestown Police Department conducted a year-long investigation that included undercover operations, hundreds of hours of covert surveillance, and wiretaps. The investigation led to the seizure of more than 3,000 baggies of heroin with an estimated street value of $60,000, all for distribution in Jamestown.

According to the indictment, members of the narcotics distribution organization would transport the heroin to Jamestown from New York City in a canister located underneath a 1999 Chevy Astro Van. Wiretaps caught the defendants discussing their drug transactions in a cryptic and coded manner in the hope of avoiding detection by law enforcement. Neftali Cintron, known as “Pucho”, and his son-in-law Luis DeJesus, known as “Papito”, would allegedly travel to Philadelphia to obtain heroin, which their minions distributed for them in Jamestown. When they did not like the quality of the narcotics from that source, they would obtain drugs from other dealers in the area.

One of those distributors, Luis Lozada-Berberena, known as “Wiso”, allegedly operated his heroin business during regular business hours – sometimes telling customers he was “closed for the day” – and had a number of regular customers who would line up to meet and follow him to out-of-the-way locations to make a deal. He allegedly got his heroin from Carlos Encarnacion, who regularly drove to New York City and returned with heroin hidden in the specially outfitted Astro Van. Wiso also purchased suboxone strips from one heroin customer and sold them to another heroin customer, Leslie Rodriguez. She then allegedly smuggled them into Gowanda Correctional Facility in Erie County where her boyfriend was incarcerated there. He then allegedly sold the suboxone, making over $300 per strip.

Defendant Edwin Velasquez allegedly sold to individuals in his drug rehabilitation group. Carlos Echiaverria, known as “Boobie”, was a dealer who obtained heroin from all of the above sources, and sold cocaine and firearms during the course of this investigation as detailed in the indictment. Boobie enlisted his father-in-law to travel to Buffalo on a bus to bring heroin from New York City for sale in Jamestown.

The 159-count indictment unsealed in Chautauqua County Court today charges 47 people with crimes including Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Second Degree and Conspiracy (class A and B felonies), and various counts of Criminal Sale and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance (class B felonies).

Charged in the Chautauqua County indictment are:

• Alberto Alicea; age 54, Brooklyn, NY
• Neftali Benitez, a/k/a “Tego”; age 33, Jamestown, NY
• Bryan Bobe; age 25, Jamestown, NY
• Charles Brown, a/k/a “Choco Loco”; age 42, Falconer, NY
• Stephen Bush; age 33, Jamestown, NY
• Hector Cameron, a/k/a “Loco”; age 31, Jamestown, NY
• Javier Carasquillo, a/k/a “Oreja”; age 43, Jamestown, NY
• Neftali Cintron, a/k/a “Pucho”; age 51, Jamestown, NY
• Hector Colon Rodriguez , a/k/a “Chino”; age 40, Jamestown, NY
• Ivan DeJesus Pena; age 45, Jamestown, NY
• Luis DeJesus, a/k/a “Papito”; age 29, Jamestown, NY
• Alfredo Diaz, a/k/a “Ding Dong”; age 51, Jamestown, NY
• Samantha DiLallo; age 26, Randolph, NY
• Carlos Echiaverria, a/k/a “Boobie”; age 31, Jamestown, NY
• Carlos Encarnacion; age 59, Jamestown, NY
• Roberto Figueredo, a/k/a “Bost”; age 25
• Joseph Fontanez; age 24, Jamestown, NY
• Christopher Freeney; age 43, Jamestown, NY
• Luis Garcia, a/k/a “Wichie”; age 42, Jamestown, NY
• Rolando Garcia; age 50, Jamestown, NY
• John Grilla; age 28, Jamestown, NY
• Jose Guevara, a/k/a “Pun”; age 29, Jamestown, NY
• Angelita Guzman, a/k/a “Michelle”; age 28, Jamestown, NY
• Francisco Guzman Gonzalez; age 46, Jamestown, NY
• Michael Lisciandro, a/k/a “Dougie”; age 23, Jamestown, NY
• Moises Lopez-Encarnacion, a/k/a “Junito”; age 22, Mayville, NY
• Luis Lozada Berberena, a/k/a “Wiso”; age 40, Jamestown, NY
• Eric M. Lundsten; age 29, Ellington, NY
• Roberto Morales-Sanchez, a/k/a “Pichulin”; age 45, Jamestown, NY
• Jean Noriega, a/k/a “John”; age 43
• Frank Orazio; age 24, Cassadaga, NY
• LaShawn Paige; age 42, Binghamton, NY
• Doris Ramos; age 25, Jamestown, NY
• Ricardo Ramos; age 27, Jamestown, NY
• Jonathan Ribbing; age 27, Lakewood, NY
• Eddie Robles, a/k/a “Nelson”; age 49, Jamestown, NY
• Leslie Rodriguez; age 28, Jamestown, NY
• Randall Rolison; age 51, Jamestown, NY
• Olga Santiago; age 49, Jamestown, NY
• Jesus Javier Suarez; age 44, Jamestown, NY
• Enrique Torres-Baez, a/k/a “Quique”; age 43, Jamestown, NY
• James Torres, a/k/a “BK”; age 42, Jamestown, NY
• Damaris Urena; age 35, Jamestown, NY
• Francis Vega, a/k/a “Pollo”; age 37
• Edwin Velasquez; age 53, Falconer, NY
• Joshua Van Ord; age 20, Lakewood, NY and
• Walter Westerdahl age 33, Jamestown, NY