March 4, 1999

SEVEN CHARGED WITH POSSESSION OF 4 KILOS OF METHAMPHETAMINE WORTH $800,000 FOLLOWING RAID ON WOODSIDE APARTMENT; SEIZURE TERMED LARGEST IN RECENT YEARS ON EAST COAST

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown announced today the arrest of seven individuals on charges of possessing 4 kilograms of methamphetamine, a controlled substance commonly called "ice."

District Attorney Brown said, "This is one of the largest seizures of methamphetamine in recent years on the East Coast. It has a street value of over $800,000. This highly addictive drug, which is used as a powerful stimulant, has deadly side effects for long term users. Methamphetamine trafficking and abuse in the United States has been on the rise over the past few years. Although more common in the western areas of the country, its impact has increasingly been felt in areas not familiar with the harmful effects of this powerful stimulant. In some areas of the country, methamphetamine is now the 'drug of choice' surpassing cocaine. Historically it has been associated with males between the ages of 19 and 40, but we have recently seen increased methamphetamine use among women, college students and young professionals at all night parties known as 'raves'."

District Attorney Brown identified the individuals arrested as Lirio DelRosario, of 61-18 43rd Avenue, 2C, Woodside, Queens, New York; Linette Perez, 832 South Club House Drive, Virginia Beach, Virginia; Arturo Zoleda of 149-09 61st Road, Flushing, New York; Aleckhine Villanueva of 90-42 187th Street, Hollis, New York; Juancho Algandera, 34-20 83rd Street, Jackson Heights NY; Edmund Batoon, 81-31 Baxter Avenue, Elmhurst, NY; and Prajedo Almiranez, 276 Glendenny Avenue, Jersey City, New Jersey. The defendants are all charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the second and third degrees and criminally using drug paraphernalia in the second degree. If convicted, they face sentences of up to life.

According to the District Attorney, on the evening of February 25, 1999, Lt. Jack Iacovou and Police Officers Robert Koehler and Gerald McNally of the NYPD Queens North Narcotics District and investigators from the Drug Enforcement Administration under the supervision of Special Agent in Charge, Anthony Senneca entered apartment 2C at 61-18 43rd Avenue, Woodside, pursuant to a search warrant and recovered the 4 kilograms of methamphetamine, business records of drug transactions, approximately $100,000 in US Currency, 200 live rounds of ammunition and a bullet proof vest. PO William Galligan, PO Kenneth Pepe, Sgt. Jeff Biondi, PO Edward Murphy, PO William Davis, Det. Robert Grey and Det. Michael Herbison were part of the police team.

District Attorney Brown said, "these arrests are the product of fine cooperation between our office and the Federal Drug Enforcement Agency. The work of law enforcement depends on our working together to build cases against drug traffickers by sharing information."

Assistant District Attorney Anastasia Spanakos of the District Attorney's Narcotics Investigations Bureau, which is under the supervision of Bureau Chief Peter A. Crusco and Deputy Bureau Chief Wilbert LeMelle and the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney Robert D. Alexander, is in charge of the prosecution.

It should be noted that an indictment is merely an accusation and that a person is considered innocent until proven guilty.