SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- More than 50 people have been arrested in connection with a drug trafficking ring that operated in five different counties in central New York, the New York State Attorney General's Office announced Thursday.
The alleged drug activities, dubbed "Operation Bricktown," involved the sale and shipment of cocaine and heroin in Cortland, Onondaga, Oswego, Madison, and St. Lawrence counties between December 2015 and December 2016, according to an indictment filed in Onondaga County Court last week. About 30 of the 52 people charged are allegedly members of the "Bricktown Gang," which is based in Syracuse.
The indictment is the result of a joint investigation involving the state attorney general's office and the Syracuse Police Department.
Joshua Poole, 23, of Cortland, is charged with conspiracy, drug possession, and operating as a major drug trafficker for purchasing cocaine and heroin from dealers in the Syracuse area and reselling it to people in Cortland County.
Kelly Babbitt, 24, also of Cortland, faces a criminal drug possession charge for her role in the operation, according to the indictment.
Specifically, the pair are accused of buying narcotics from contacts in Syracuse and selling them to people in the Cortland area. On one occasion, Poole ordered a "brick" -- 55 envelopes of heroin -- from a dealer in the Syracuse area, according to court documents.
The crime of operating as a major trafficker can result in a 15-25 year prison sentence, according to the Center for Community Alternatives in Syracuse.
“These arrests send an unmistakable message: dealing death and violence in our communities will not be tolerated – and we will bring you to justice,” Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in a news release.
