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Police chiefs in St. Lawrence County say it’s too early to tell if Operation Gravy Train will impact local crime rates

Posted 6/17/17

By ANDY GARDNER Police chiefs in Massena and Ogdensburg, who say the area was home to the majority of Operation Gravy Train suspects, believe it’s too early to tell if the massive interstate drug …

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Police chiefs in St. Lawrence County say it’s too early to tell if Operation Gravy Train will impact local crime rates

Posted

By ANDY GARDNER

Police chiefs in Massena and Ogdensburg, who say the area was home to the majority of Operation Gravy Train suspects, believe it’s too early to tell if the massive interstate drug sting is having an effect on local crime rates.

The bust resulted in two indictments against 106 people who are accused of running or participating in two organizations that brought heroin, cocaine and fentanyl to St. Lawrence County. The state Attorney General’s Office led the probe and coordinated about two dozen local, state and federal law enforcement agencies in New York and New Jersey.

Massena Police Chief Adam Love has previously stated that there were 43 homes in the village on his department’s radar as houses where drug activity is taking place, but he wasn’t sure how many may have been shut down.

“There’s been a reduction. I don’t have an amount … that’s something we’re working with the drug investigator to figure out,” Love said. “Some of the houses that were hit are houses we were watching.”

One of the more high profile of those was 72 Maple St., where suspect Travis O’Neill lived. There, a militarized state police CERT team during the June 1 raids used an armored BearCat with a battering ram attached to break down the door. No shots were fired.

Love also said he doesn’t yet know the overall impact the operation had on crime in Massena.

“I’ve talked to my investigators. It’s too early to tell if there’s been any change,” Love said.

Ogdensburg Chief Andrew Kennedy said the same thing.

“I think it’s too soon to tell. I think we had an impact on the organization involved,” Kennedy said. “I think time will tell.”

Operation Gravy Train is one of several big busts in recent years that resulted in numerous suspects charged with felonies for selling and possessing narcotics.

In 2013, Operation Problem Child netted about a dozen suspects in two Massena drug trafficking rings that were believed to be involved in numerous instances of drug-related violence throughout the area. That was headed up by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York.

In 2015, Operation 315 netted 33 suspects from around St. Lawrence County who were accused of selling drugs in the North Country. That was led by the state Attorney General’s Office.

Although he didn’t get into specifics of the investigation, Sheriff Kevin Wells said Operation Gravy Train went state instead of federal because of how the information developed that kicked off the investigation.

“A lot of times the federal (cases) will develop out of a large seizure or a large cash seizure,” Wells said. He cited as an example a patrol that catches a vehicle on a highway with an amount of drugs or cash that draws the feds’ attention.

“It (Gravy Train) didn’t start that way. It started with who’s connected to who … when it takes that turn, the way that was the most tactful for us to go through, tactics-wise, is the attorney general,” Wells said. “Who we partner with is based on how the initial part of the investigation develops.”

Wells said as of June 14, there were still eight Operation Gravy Train suspects at large. Of the 98 who have been captured, most are in custody as their cases go through the courts.

“They’re all fine. They all started to re-appear in court yesterday and today. They’re assigned attorneys from all over the North Country, maybe a little farther for a few of them,” Wells said.

He said at least three or four were released on bond following their arraignments on June 13 and 14. Some had been released under probationary supervision following their initial arrests, but quickly violated the terms of their supervision and were jailed.

He said there have not been requests from any of the suspects for drug detox treatment.

“These people, if they had any habits, they’re not to the extent they’re an addict in that sense. These are people who were selling in our communities to make profit,” the sheriff said.

He feels the prosecutions are going ahead smoothly, and he expects a good end result.

“Working with the Attorney General’s Office, with this attorney that’s acting as our prosecutor, is going very well. There’s a game plan in place and I’m sure people will stick to it right to the end,” Wells said. “We have the full backing of county legislature and admin to move ahead … we appreciate local partners and everyone who’s worked with us.”