Medford raid leads to cash, weapons seizures, police say

Complaints from residents in a Medford neighborhood prompted a raid Thursday of a home where drugs and guns were seized, leading to the arrest of four people, Suffolk County police said.

At a Friday news conference, Police Commissioner Timothy Sini said customers would walk up to the house on Gray Avenue and buy drugs through a front window.

A search warrant executed by the narcotics unit at the house about 7 a.m. Thursday yielded about 6 pounds of marijuana, packaged in various sizes; nearly 30 grams of methylenedioxymethamphetamine (known on the street as MDMA or Molly) and several oxycodone pills, police said.

Also seized were an unspecified amount of cash, a loaded shotgun, a loaded Smith & Wesson .357-caliber revolver, fake handguns, shotgun ammunition, and scales and packaging materials, police said.

The location of the shotgun was most disturbing, Sini said.

“The detectives and the officers that executed that search warrant, they recovered that shotgun right below the window sill,” said Sini. “The information we received from the public is that the drug dealer was serving their customers through that window where the shotgun was. So that shotgun was ready to be used just in case someone either tried to rip these drug dealers off or they spotted law enforcement.”

Sini said a tip from a resident came to police before a hotline — 631-852-6272 — was created specifically to report drug houses three weeks ago.

With the hotline, police have already collected 131 tips since it was created, which further proves that the drug problem in Suffolk County is serious, Sini said, assuring the public that police will follow up on every tip.

“It’s important that when people complain about a drug home, they see that action is taken. It makes them feel like people care. That people are doing something about it,” he said. “The Suffolk County police department is there to protect and to serve them and that’s very important because that furthers the trust in partnership. Also it removes drugs and guns off the street.”

Police said the Sixth Precinct responded with its gang unit, crime section officers and special operations team.

Undercover narcotics detectives made three marijuana buys from the house, where an armed burglary had previously taken place and a prior search warrant yielded illegal weapons, police said.

Those arrested are:

• Clinton Parks, 32, a resident of the house. He is charged with fourth- and fifth-degree criminal sale of marijuana, second-degree criminal possession of marijuana, fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon and fifth- and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. He was arraigned and held on $20,000 cash or $30,000 bond. His private attorney, Michael Ross of Hauppauge, entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.
• Leonard Francis, 31, of Wilson Avenue, Medford. He is was charged with second-degree criminal possession of marijuana and three counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance. Francis was arraigned and held on $5,000 cash or $10,000 bond. After his arraignment, Francis’ attorney, George Duncan of Central Islip, said Francis was spending the night at his friend’s house and is not guilty.
• Willie Davis, 20, also a resident of the house. He is charged with criminal possession of marijuana. Davis was bailed out Thursday night.
• Sheila Richardson, 64, a resident of the house, was issued an appearance ticket for unlawful possession of marijuana.

Richardson and Davis are scheduled to appear at a later date.

The investigation is continuing and additional charges may be pending, according to police.