Holbrook man convicted of being 'major' drug trafficker in network that caused 2 overdose deaths 

A jury convicted a Holbrook man on 92 charges related to his role in a drug trafficking network and the deaths of two people from overdosing on fentanyl, authorities said.

Russell Defreitas, 55, also known as "Merc," was found guilty on drugs, weapons and other charges related to his participation in a large-scale operation that distributed cocaine, fentanyl and heroin, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney announced Friday.

An investigation into Defreitas began in September 2022, when law enforcement responded to the scene of a fatal overdose in Holbrook. During an eight-month probe into that death, the Suffolk district attorney's East End Drug Task Force learned Defreitas was a member of a network that was "conspiring to sell large amounts of crack cocaine and potent fentanyl" and using loaded firearms "to protect their drug contraband," according to a news release from Tierney’s office.

Six months later, on March 9, 2023, Defreitas was renting a hotel room where multiple people were gathered. After a female overdosed in the room, the Holbrook man directed the others there to refrain from calling 911. They gathered the drugs and other evidence from the room, and left to eat at a nearby Wendy’s, according to Tierney’s office. After several hours, Defreitas permitted one of his associates to call 911, by which time the woman, as well as a man, fatally overdosed in the room.

While staying at another hotel, Defreitas was arrested two days later, Tierney’s office said. When law enforcement executed search warrants at his hotel room, his trailer and his vehicle, they found cocaine, fentanyl, drug cutting agents, two loaded firearms, scales and materials for weighing and packaging drugs and multiple hotel room key cards. Officials also found bank cards with the names of the woman and the man who had fatally overdosed in Defreitas’ possession.

On Tuesday, two years to the day following his arrest, a jury found Defreitas guilty of operating as a major drug trafficker, plus 82 additional drug charges, second-degree conspiracy, two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, two counts of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, three counts of first-degree perjury and tampering with physical evidence. He defended himself throughout the trial and is scheduled to return to court on April 14 for sentencing. He faces up to life in prison, according to the district attorney’s office.

Defreitas operated "with complete disregard for human life, directly causing the tragic deaths of two victims," Tierney said in a statement issued Friday.

"While no verdict can bring back those whom we’ve lost," he added, "we hope this conviction provides some measure of closure to the family and friends who lost loved ones."