Five Huntington residents are among eight people indicted on charges related to distribution of cocaine that had been shipped from Puerto Rico to Long Island for sale, Suffolk District Attorney Ray Tierney said Tuesday.
His office said that between March 2022, and June 2023, Eleomar Perez-Serrano of Westbury received numerous parcels through the mail that were believed to contain cocaine. In March 2023, when his predecessor was killed in Puerto Rico, Perez-Serrano assumed leadership of the local operation and allegedly took on coordinating the shipment of cocaine parcels to Suffolk County and to his apartment building in Nassau County where he resided with Maria Nieves.
Perez-Serrano, 33, is charged with:
One count of Operating as a Major Drug Trafficker (Acting as a Director), a Class A-I
felony;
One count of Operating as a Major Drug Trafficker (Profiteer-Possession), a Class A-I
felony;
Two counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree, Class AI felonies;
One count of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Second Degree, a Class
A-II felony;
Two counts of Attempted Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the First
Degree, Class A-I felonies;
One count of Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a Class B felony;
One count of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a Class B
felony;
Six counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree (Intent to
Sell Narcotic Drug), Class B felonies;
Two counts of Attempted Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third
Degree (Intent to Sell Narcotic Drug), Class C felonies;
Two counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Seventh Degree, Class
A misdemeanors; and
Two counts of Criminal Use of Drug Paraphernalia in the Second Degree, Class A
misdemeanors.
Nieves, 28 is charged with:
Two counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree, Class AI felonies;
One count of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Second Degree, a Class
A-II felony;
One count of Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a Class B felony;
One count of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a Class B
felony;
Six counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree (Intent to
Sell a Narcotic Drug), Class B felonies;
Two counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Seventh Degree, Class
A misdemeanors; and
Two counts of Criminal Use of Drug Paraphernalia in the Second Degree, Class A
misdemeanors.
Also charged are:
Brian Ruiz-Chaparro, 34, Huntington Station:
One count of Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a Class B felony;
One count of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Second Degree, a Class
A-II felony;
One count of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree (Intent to
Sell a Narcotic Drug), a Class B felony; and
Two counts of Criminal Use of Drug Paraphernalia in the Second Degree, Class A
misdemeanors.
Carlos Vazquez, 52, of Huntington, is charged with:
One count of Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a Class B felony; and
One count of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Seventh Degree, a Class
A Misdemeanor.
Linda Wahlen, 57, of Huntington Station, is charged with:
One count of Attempted Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree,
a Class A-I felony; and
One count of Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a Class B felony.
Lynn Chodkowski, 61, of Huntington, is charged with:
One count of Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a Class B felony.
Omar Lopez-Perez, 38, of Huntington Station, is charged with:
One count of Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a Class B felony.
Samuel Rodriguez, 54, of Bay Shore, is charged with:
One count of Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a Class B felony; and
One count of Criminal Use of Drug Paraphernalia in the Second Degree, a Class A
misdemeanor.
“These defendants allegedly used the United States Postal Service to ship numerous parcels
containing cocaine from Puerto Rico to locations in both Suffolk County and Nassau County,”
said District Attorney Tierney. “While these alleged peddlers of dangerous and illegal drugs were
creative in their attempts to violate the law, thanks to our law enforcement partnerships, we
unraveled the scheme. Drug dealers should be on notice, we will find you and bring you to justice.”
District Attorney Tierney expressed his thanks to Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) and
the United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General (“USPS OIG”).
Tierney said that search warrants executed on June 6 found the following:
At the apartment of Perez-Serrano and Nieves, members of
law enforcement allegedly recovered two-kilogram bricks of cocaine, one of which was found
unsecured beneath a sink, and the other was found in a box beneath a child’s crib. Law
enforcement also allegedly recovered numerous bags containing cocaine and crack cocaine
that were packaged for sale, eight cellular telephones including the ones used to procure and
distribute cocaine, three digital scales used to weigh drugs, a money counter, materials used
to package drugs for sale, and approximately $25,000 in cash.
At the Ruiz-Chaparro residence in Huntington Station, law enforcement allegedly recovered four ounces of cocaine, two cellular telephones, a digital scale and materials used to package drugs for sale.
During the investigation, Perez-Serrano and Vazquez allegedly discussed making
a daily profit of at least $2,000 from the street level sales of cocaine in Suffolk County, which would
amount to almost a quarter of a million dollars in profit during the time of the conspiracy.
Perez-Serrano was arraigned Monday and held on $1.5 million cash, $3 million bond or $15 million partially secured bond. Perez-Serrano is due back in court on Aug.15.
Nieves, Ruiz-Chaparro, Wahlen, Chodkowski, Rodriguez and Lopez-Perez are scheduled to be arraigned on July 25.
Vazquez is scheduled to be arraigned on Aug. 2.