14 People Were Charged With Cocaine Trafficking In Schenectady

Fourteen people were charged with cocaine trafficking in Schenectady. Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman said the crackdown, nicknamed “Operation Dirty Deeds," was the result of a nine-month investigation of a trafficking ring that bought cocaine in bulk in New York City and sold it throughout the Capital Region. 14 defendants with various felonies, including criminal sale and possession of a controlled substance and conspiracy, facing between three years and life in prison on 84-count indictment charges. Police seizure of over 2.5 pounds of cocaine in the investigation.

According to timeunion, the investigation centered on Jevon “Dirt” Henry, 36, who was based in Schenectady. Henry allegedly bought the cocaine from a source in New York City for $31 a gram. He would then use his 32-year-old girlfriend, Aisha Murray, to bring the drugs up from New York City in an effort to insulate himself from being caught with the drugs, police said. It is the ninth large-scale bust since the SURGE operation launched in April 2017. In the past 12 months, the initiative has resulted in 302 traffickers taken off the streets throughout New York; those traffickers have collectively been charged with over 1,400 crimes, Schneiderman's office said.

The defendants in the investigation include Quinton Adams, 47 and Quentin Bellinger, 58, both of the Bronx; Laquan Hart, 32, Julio Lewis, 27, Hardley Pierre, 28, Raydell Robinson, 37, Duvon Royall, 43, Lamar Ventura, 38, Stacey Watson, 45, all of Schenectady; Paul Greaves, 35, and Jermaine White, 29, of Albany; and James Johnson 55, of Latham.