Spota Announces 23 Arrests in East End Drug Bust

While 17 alleged gang members and drug dealers from the Riverhead area were being arraigned at on Thursday, two floors above them, Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota held a press conference announcing their arrests and the county's crackdown of a drug ring which allegedly distributed half a kilo of crack cocaine a week in Eastern Suffolk. One of the 17 arraigned was Mack Butler, 36, of Patchogue.

Calling the narcotics trade the "life blood" of gangs, Spota announced that among 23 arrests in total, the East End Drug Task Force had tackled five admitted members of the Bloods street gang from Riverhead and Southampton in a three-month investigation that started in August of 2010.

Two individuals arrested by the task force included the leaders of two factions of the Bloods, which go by the names of the Doctors Path Flame and Trey-9. John Gayles, who was on parole for felony drug sales, led the Doctors Path Flame while Carnell Walker, an ex-felon also busted for drug sales in the past, led Trey-9 out of Flanders. According to Spota, the two both cooked $20,000 worth of crack out of their homes on a weekly basis.

Downstairs, Suffolk County Judge Martin Efman held both on $250,000 cash bail or $500,000 bond.

"The lifeblood of street gangs is the narcotics trade - especially cocaine," Spota said. "The profits generated from sales finance their other illegal activities - the purchase of illegal guns for example. They enforce their street operations with these guns."

In the 10 search warrants executed by the task force, three handguns were found, one of which was tied to a shooting in the Shirley/Mastic area. Counterfeit cash was also a large part of the operation, allegedly coming from Butler in Patchogue to Flanders, and used at local businesses. In late January, police announced that to purchase a vacuum at Wal-Mart.

Among those arraigned on Thursday, prosecutors said one had already given a "detailed confession of the operation of the counterfeit enterprise." Tina Greene, a 37-year old mother of six from Riverhead, was held on $5,000 cash bail.

The East End Drug Task Force is a multi-jurisdictional drug enforcement unit funded by the office of Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota. The task force includes detectives, police offices, and law enforcement personnel from the New York State Police, New York State Parole the Suffolk County Police Department, District Attorney Detective-Investigators, East Hampton Town Police Department, East Hampton Village Police Department, Shelter Island Police Department, Southold Police Department, Riverhead Police Department, Suffolk County Sheriff's Office, and the Suffolk County Department of Probation.

Among those arraigned on Wednesday:

• Mack Butler, 36, aka "Kobe," aka "P," aka "Priest," aka "Abdur Sabur"
  • Residence: Patchogue
  • Bail: $250,000 cash/$500,000 bond
  • Charges:
    
    • Conspiracy, 2nd degree
    • Criminal possession of a weapon, 2nd degree
    • Criminal possession of a weapon, 3rd degree
    • Attempted criminal possession of a controlled substance 1st degree by weight
    • Attempted criminal possession of a controlled substance 3rd degree (intent to sell)
    • Criminal possession of stolen property, 4th degree
    • Criminal use of drug paraphernalia, 2nd degree
    • Criminal possession of a forged instrument, 1st degree
    • Criminal possession of forgery devices (2 counts)
• John Gayles, 25, aka "Guns"
  • Residence: Riverhead
  • Bail: $250,000 cash/$500,000 bond
  • Charges:
    
    • Conspiracy, 2nd degree
    • Conspiracy, 4th degree
    • Criminal possession of a weapon, 2nd degree
    • Criminal possession of a weapon, 3rd degree
    • Criminal use of drug paraphernalia, 2nd degree
    • Criminal possession of a forged instrument, 1st degree
• Carnell Walker, 25, aka "Smell"
  • Residence: Flanders
  • Bail: $250,000 cash/$500,000 bond
  • Charges:
    • Conspiracy, 2nd degree
    • Conspiracy, 4th degree
    • Criminal sale of a controlled substance 1st degree by weight (4 counts)
    • Criminal sale of a controlled substance 2nd degree by weight (6 counts)
    • Criminal sale of a controlled substance 3rd degree (2 counts)
    • Criminal possession of a controlled substance 3rd degree (intent to sell) (11 counts)
    • Criminal possession of a controlled substance 3rd degree by weight (9 counts)
• James White, 39, aka "Dog"
  • Residence: Riverhead
  • Bail: $200,00 cash/$400,000 bond
  • Charges:
    • Conspiracy, 2nd degree
    • Attempted criminal possession of a controlled substance 1st degree by weight
    • Attempted criminal possession of a controlled substance 3rd degree (intent to sell)
• Tina Greene, 37
  • Residence: Riverhead
  • Bail: $5,000 cash/$50,000 bond
  • Charges:
    
    • Conspiracy, 2nd degree
    • Criminal use of drug paraphernalia, 2nd degree
• Yolanda Miles, 23, aka "Yay Yo"
  • Residence: Riverhead
  • Bail: $10,000 bond
  • Charges:
    • Conspiracy, 2nd degree
    • Criminal use of drug paraphernalia, 2nd degree
• Stanley Griffin, 30, aka "Griff"
  • Residence: Riverhead
  • Bail: $75,000 cash/$150,000 bond
  • Charges:
    
    • Conspiracy, 2nd degree
• Charles Pettaway, 22
  • Residence: Flanders
  • Bail: $20,000 cash/$50,000 bond
  • Charges:
    
    • Conspiracy, 2nd degree
• Carlton Walker, 21, aka "Taz," aka "Rel," aka "Balton"
  • Residence: Westhampton
  • Bail: $5,000 cash/$50,000 bond
  • Charges:
    
    • Conspiracy, 4th degree
• Verna Miles, 34, aka Verna Butler aka "Tiny"
  • Residence: Amityville
  • Bail: $2,500 cash/$25,000 bond
  • Charges:
    
    • Criminal possession of a forged instrument, 1st degree
    • Forgery, 1st degree
    • Criminal possession of forgery devices (2 counts)
    • Endangering the welfare of children
• Kyle Harris, 37, aka "Uncle Kyle"
  • Residence: Riverhead
  • Bail: Arraigned Wednesday afternoon
  • Charges:
    
    • Conspiracy, 2nd degree
    • Attempted criminal possession of a controlled substance 1st degree by weight
    • Attempted criminal possession of a controlled substance 3rd degree (intent to sell)
    • Criminal facilitation, 2nd degree
• Grant Carle, 46
  • Residence: Southampton
  • Bail: Arraigned Wednesday afternoon
  • Charges:
    
    • Conspiracy, 2nd degree
• Allen Brown, 19, aka "AJ"
  • Residence: Aquebogue
  • Bail: Arraigned Wednesday afternoon
  • Charges:
    
    • Conspiracy, 2nd degree
• Javid Yarsien, 19
  • Residence: Patchogue
  • Bail: Arraigned Wednesday afternoon
  • Charges:
    
    • Conspiracy, 2nd degree
• DeWayne Butler, 28, aka "Tech B"
  • Residence: Amityville
  • Bail: Arraigned Wednesday afternoon
  • Charges:
    • Conspiracy, 4th degree
    • Criminal possession of a weapon, 3rd degree
    • Criminal use of drug paraphernalia, 2nd degree
    • Criminal possession of a forged instrument, 1st degree
    • Forgery, 1st degree
    • Criminal possession of forgery devices (2 counts)
• Brian Stokley, 26, aka "Little Bow Wow"
  • Residence: Flanders
  • Bail: Arraigned Wednesday afternoon
  • Charges:
    
    • Conspiracy, 2nd degree
• Thomas Locolla, 22, aka "Whitebread"
  
  • Residence: Riverhead
  • Bail: Arraigned Wednesday afternoon
  • Charges:
    • Conspiracy, 2nd degree
• Tremel Kelly, 17
  • Residence: Riverhead
  • Bail: Arraigned Wednesday afternoon
  • Charges:
    • Criminal sale of a controlled substance, 3rd degree

• Tremaine Kelly, 26
  • Residence: Riverhead
  • Bail: Arraigned Wednesday afternoon
  • Charges:
    • Criminal sale of a controlled substance, 3rd degree (2 counts)

• Robert Mahoney, 22
  
  • Residence: Riverhead
  • Bail: Arraigned Wednesday afternoon
  • Charges:
    • Criminal sale of a controlled substance, 3rd degree

• Eric Thomas, 37
  
  • Residence: Riverhead
  • Bail: Arraigned Wednesday afternoon
  • Charges:
    • Criminal sale of a controlled substance, 3rd degree (2 counts)

• Delmus Wise, 36
  
  • Residence: Riverhead
  • Bail: Arraigned Wednesday afternoon
  • Charges:
    • Criminal sale of a controlled substance, 3rd degree (2 counts)