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Massena, Norwood residents charged with heroin and cocaine trafficking to be arraigned in Plattsburgh today

Posted 12/10/15

MASSENA -- The four St. Lawrence County residents arrested Wednesday on charges related to cocaine and heroin trafficking in and around the Massena area will be arraigned in Plattsburgh today. Three …

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Massena, Norwood residents charged with heroin and cocaine trafficking to be arraigned in Plattsburgh today

Posted

MASSENA -- The four St. Lawrence County residents arrested Wednesday on charges related to cocaine and heroin trafficking in and around the Massena area will be arraigned in Plattsburgh today.

Three subjects are from Massena, one is from Norwood and two are from New York City.

The indictment charges the following people with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute heroin and cocaine:

• Tina Fumano, 42, Massena

• Cecilia Lindsey, a/k/a “Cece,” 28, Massena

• Nicole Francis, 27, Norwood

• William Rochefort, 21, Massena

• Jonathan Rodriguez, a/k/a “Javi” a/k/a “Big Guy” a/k/a “Big Man” a/k/a “Babs” a/k/a “Bebz” a/k/a/ “Bebo,” 27, of Bronx

• Ricardo Garcia, aka “Bucky,” 24, New York City

Fumano Rodriguez, and Garcia each face 5 to 40 years in prison and up to $5 million in fines, if convicted. Lindsey, Francis and Rochefort each face up to 20 years' prison time and a maximum $1 million fine, if convicted.

The defendants, except Garcia, will appear for arraignments in Plattsburgh today before United States Magistrate Judge Gary L. Favro. Garcia is in custody in the Southern District of New York and will appear for arraignment at a later date.

“This operation is a success story of how agencies come together to address the illegal drug trade in Northern New York,” said Massena Police Chief Mark LaBrake. “This operation, which started with an investigation by the Massena Police Department, was able to dismantle a large pipeline of cocaine and heroin trafficking from New York City to Massena. The hope is that people from out of the area will realize that bringing this poison to our community will not be tolerated. I again want to thank our local, state and federal partners for their assistance in helping battle this problem of dangerous drugs that plagues our community.”

“Vigorous law enforcement by federal, state, local, and Canadian agencies is essential to ending the emerging heroin epidemic and combatting the continuing cocaine problem,” U.S. Attorney Richard S. Hartunian said in a prepared statement. “The outstanding collaboration here was critical to bringing this case. We remain committed to working together to maintain public health and safety in this community.”

“Dismantling drug trafficking organizations is a critical component of our effort to enhance public safety in our communities,” HSI Special Agent in Charge James C. Spero said in the statement. “By disrupting these organizations, we are on the path to addressing the root causes of a myriad of criminal activity associated with drug trafficking.”

The indictment is the result of a year-long investigation led by HSI’s Border Enforcement Security Task Force (BEST) in Massena, which consists of law enforcement officers from the Massena Police Department, the St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department and the New York State Police, and which receives assistance from the U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the District Attorneys of Clinton, Franklin, and St. Lawrence Counties, the St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Police Department, the Oneida Indian Nation Police, U. S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, the Potsdam Police Department, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Surete du Quebec, and the New York Attorney General’s Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine Kopita and Douglas G. Collyer.