East End '9-Trey' gang bust includes shootings, drug sales, fatal overdose, DA says
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney announced Monday the indictment of 21 individuals engaged in drug sales and illegal gun activity, including one man he said sold a fatal dose of fentanyl and crack cocaine to a 25-year-old woman in Ronkonkoma last November.
Tierney said the 197-count indictment, secured following a three-month presentation to a grand jury, covers six conspiracies and is the result of a 16-month East End Drug Task Force investigation into members of the “9-Trey Bloods” street gang and their associates. The indictment spans 63 separate criminal acts dating back to December 2021, including the possession of 12 illegal firearms, nine large-capacity ammunition feeding devices, a gang-related shooting, several undercover narcotics transactions and possession with intent to sell multiple controlled substances, Tierney said.
“In Suffolk County, we had over 350 young people die last year from fentanyl,” Tierney said at a news briefing Monday. “That is more young people from Suffolk County than those who died during all the years of the Vietnam War put together. We can’t stand by and let this continue.”
Drugs seized included 250 grams of fentanyl, 220 grams of methamphetamine, more than 200 grams of cocaine, and pills, Tierney said.
Investigators executed over 190 search warrants of residences, vehicles, cellphones and other digital data sources, and conducted physical and electronic surveillance as part of the investigation, Tierney said.
Of the 21 defendants, nine were arrested and arraigned before Suffolk Supreme Court Justice Richard Horowitz last week. The others have pending arraignments, Tierney said.
The district attorney said one goal of the long-term investigation was to tie defendants in drug cases to bail-eligible offenses, such as acts of violence and weapons charges, keeping them from continuing to sell drugs.
“We promised to bring in information-driven investigations and prosecutions to Suffolk County,” Tierney said. “Because of our bail laws, our kids are left in danger.”
At Monday’s news conference, Tierney, accompanied by Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney K. Harrison and Suffolk Sheriff Errol D. Toulon Jr. highlighted several incidents covered in the indictment, including the Nov. 13 overdose death of a young mom.
Justin Llewelyn, 34 of Wyandanch, was charged with selling the fentanyl and crack cocaine that caused the overdose death of Yasmin DeLeon, 25, at the Rodeway Inn in Ronkonkoma.
Tierney said Llewellyn was already a target of the police investigation when he was arrested at the scene of DeLeon’s death. Investigators later found he sold the lethal dose, the district attorney said. Llewellyn is charged with second-degree narcotics conspiracy, which carries a penalty of 25 years in prison, and criminal sale of a controlled substance.
Tierney said Llewellyn tried to administer Narcan to DeLeon and a search warrant of his vehicle revealed he was traveling with scales and overdose kits.
Llewellyn is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday. His attorney information was not listed on an online record of the pending charges.
Also in the indictment, Tyree Lawrence, 30, of Ronkonkoma was accused of firing a handgun 10 times through his own windshield in the direction of a Cadillac being driven by an alleged rival gang member at the corner of Connetquot Avenue and Veterans Memorial Highway on Aug. 20 in Central Islip. The intended target was not struck, Tierney said.
Lawrence was charged with attempted assault and second-degree narcotics conspiracy. He was arraigned April 19 and held in lieu of a $1 million bond or $500,000 cash bail.
Lawrence’s attorney, Christopher Brocato of Central Islip, said his client denies taking part in a conspiracy.
“When I arraigned my client, they had 20 blacked-out names and just my client’s name,” Brocato said. “We didn’t know who the other alleged conspirators are. I’ve spoken to my client and he denies having any involvement in this.”
Grant Parpan covers Suffolk County courts and federal courts for Newsday. A Long Island native, he joined Newsday in 2022.
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