Eight indicted on drug, weapons charges, Suffolk DA says
A Suffolk County grand jury indicted eight people Friday charged with dealing fentanyl and cocaine, weapons possession, conspiracy to sell drugs and the planning of a home burglary, according to county District Attorney Raymond Tierney's office.
County prosecutors charged the eight in a 65-count indictment after a yearlong investigation into drug sales, including a fatal overdose, a news release from Tierney's office said.
Police began investigating the drug ring with the Drug Enforcement Agency last year and found one of the men selling cocaine and fentanyl, prosecutors said.
Undercover officers bought cocaine and fentanyl seven separate times from Kelvin Corona, 41, of Mastic, according to the district attorney’s office. During three of those sales, police said, Corona sold more than a half-ounce of cocaine and fentanyl.
Prosecutors said Naesean Crawford, 26, of Islip, was supplying the drugs, and Crawford then provided the drugs to sell on the street. Police traced the drugs from one of the sales to a fatal February 2023 overdose of a Suffolk County woman in a Nassau County home.
Police said a friend found a woman unconscious and police recovered a crack pipe and purple fentanyl in her room. Corona and David Damore, 39, of Shirley, were charged with the drug sale that led to her overdose.
Police said Corona and two other men planned to place a GPS tracking device on an associate’s car to follow him to his house where they planned to steal a large amount of cash. The men planned to lure the victim to a neutral location where they said they were going to buy a motorbike. Police said the men planned to place the GPS tracker on his car and follow him with a gun to steal the cash.
Prosecutors were able to monitor the tracker and police intervened March 31. Police found the tracker in Corona’s car before he could use it in the burglary, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors served search warrants at homes in Islip, Mastic and Mastic Beach, where police seized several assault weapons, large-capacity magazines, a drug press and materials used to sell drugs, multiple cellphones and $4,000 in cash, prosecutors said.
Corona was indicted on 43 counts including criminal sale of a controlled substance and conspiracy. He was ordered held on $1 million cash bail or $2 million bond.
Crawford and Christalia Bonilla, 22, of Islip, were both indicted on felony charges of criminal possession of a controlled substance, possession of a weapon and firearm. Crawford was also charged with conspiracy.
Crawford was released on a $200,000 bond with additional conditions including GPS monitoring and he was ordered to surrender his passport.
Damore was charged with conspiracy and criminal possession of a controlled substance. He was ordered held on $100,000 cash or $250,000 bond.
Bonilla was released on $100,000 bond with GPS monitoring and was ordered to surrender her passport.
The other defendants were released without bail.
Defense attorneys could not reached for comment.
John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.
