Trial begins on drug-ring slaying charges

The trial has begun for an Oakdale man who prosecutors said ran a major heroin trafficking ring in Suffolk County and fatally shot one of his drug runners.

Assistant District Attorney Glenn Kurtzrock told jurors in his opening statement Wednesday that Gilberto "Macho" Rivera, 28, lured Luis Maldonado, 27, of Bay Shore, to a secluded area off the Long Island Expressway on Aug. 15, 2008, and shot him in the head and body "execution style." Then Rivera set Maldonado's Chevy Blazer on fire in an attempt to hide his crime, Kurtzrock said.

The murder and narcotics charges are being prosecuted as one case. Court of Claims Justice Mark D. Cohen said the trial is expected to last three months.

When it was his turn to present his case, Assistant District Attorney John Scarglato said Rivera was part of a ring that shipped large amounts of heroin from Queens to Suffolk. Scarglato said Rivera bought the heroin from Sean Cruz, a Queens supplier, and used Long Island drug dealers to sell it on Suffolk streets.

However, defense attorney Bruce A. Barket of Garden City told jurors that the prosecution's case relies on the testimony of drug dealers who seek leniency from authorities.

"At the end of the day, this case is built on a house of cards," Barket said.

Rivera, who has been in jail since his arrest in 2009, faces 14 charges including second-degree murder and first-degree possession of a controlled substance with the intention to sell. He's also charged with robbing another drug dealer of $30,000 in cash and jewelry.

If convicted of the murder charge, Rivera faces a maximum of 25 years to life in prison.

The case against Rivera does not rely solely on the testimony of drug dealers who are cooperating with the prosecution, Scarglato said.

Scarglato said jurors would hear some of the conversations from three months of police wiretaps and from detectives who witnessed some of Rivera's drug deals.

The trial resumes in Suffolk County Court in Riverhead Thursday morning.