| TRENTON
– Attorney General Stuart Rabner,
State Police Superintendent Rick Fuentes
and Criminal Justice Director Gregory A.
Paw today announced the arrests of five
alleged top members of a Newark-based narcotics
ring that distributed millions of dollars
a year in illegal prescription painkillers
such as OxyContin. Two other alleged members
were previously arrested in New York, and
warrants are outstanding for more than a
dozen individuals.
According
to Paw, those arrested late yesterday include
the alleged ringleader, Mohamed Hassanain,
40, of Edgar Road, West Orange, and a physician,
Dr. Mario Comesanas, 51, of Livingston,
who allegedly went to Hassanain’s
home to write thousands of fraudulent painkiller
prescriptions. Also arrested was a pharmacist
Ahmed F. “Felix” Aly 32, of
Union, Hassanain’s cousin, who is
charged with knowingly filling the forged
prescriptions. Hassanain, who sometimes
uses the alias Mohamed Aly, allegedly ran
the ring from his business, Lyons Avenue
Auto Sales on Clinton Avenue in Newark,
as well as his home.
The
charges against the alleged members of the
ring stem from a six-month investigation
led by the New Jersey State Police and the
Division of Criminal Justice, with assistance
from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration
New Jersey Division. The investigation,
dubbed “Operation Pandora,”
determined that the network allegedly sold
20,000 to 30,000 OxyContin and Percocet
pills per week, with most going to a distribution
ring based in the Bronx, N.Y., according
to Colonel Fuentes. Approximately 22,000
prescription pills were seized overnight,
along with seven guns and hundreds of thousands
of dollars as law enforcement agencies executed
search warrants at 10 locations. The investigation
is ongoing and additional charges are expected.
“This
operation brings to a grinding halt a dangerous,
multi-million dollar criminal enterprise,”
said Attorney General Rabner. “We
have arrested the alleged leader of this
narcotics ring as well as those who supplied
him with what had been an endless supply
of illegal prescription drugs.”
“Like
the mythical Pandora’s box, once this
investigation was opened, a plethora of
criminal acts, conspiracies and perpetrators
kept pouring out. The magnitude of this
case and the far reaching implications of
these drugs on the street beg for the kind
of interagency cooperation we are proud
to encourage,” said Colonel Fuentes.
“The
State Police and Division of Criminal Justice,
with assistance from the U.S. Drug Enforcement
Administration New Jersey Division, aggressively
and skillfully pursued this investigation
into every corner of this criminal organization,”
said Director Paw. “With these arrests,
we have dismantled it from top to bottom.”
Hassanain
and his deputies allegedly provided up to
several hundred names a week to Dr. Comesanas,
who allegedly was paid $100 per name to
write a “set” of prescriptions,
including 60 OxyContin pills, 90 Percocet
pills and vitamins. Vitamins allegedly were
included to make the prescriptions appear
more legitimate.
Hassanain
and his deputies allegedly used numerous
“runners” to fill the prescriptions
at various pharmacies using fraudulent identifications.
It is alleged that the defendants also forged
identification documents and laundered money
to further their criminal activities.
Hassanain
was charged with being an organized crime
leader and money laundering. Dr. Comesanas
was also charged with money laundering.
In addition, Hassanain, Dr. Comesanas and
the other defendants were charged with racketeering,
distribution of narcotics and forgery. Hassanain
and Comesanas were charged with first-degree
racketeering and could face up to 20 years
in prison if convicted on that charge. All
the defendants face second-degree charges,
which carry a sentence of up to 10 years
in prison. A list of those arrested is attached.
Also
arrested were Stephanie “Sara”
McLucas, 54, of Maplewood, and Edmond Roberson,
41, of Union. Four other people were arrested
on charges unrelated to the investigation
when they were allegedly found to be in
possession of narcotics or guns during the
execution of search warrants.
Authorities
searched 10 locations, including Hassanain’s
home, his two auto shops, Dr. Comesanas’
home and RGN Pharmacy on Elizabeth Avenue
in Newark, which is owned by Ahmed Aly.
At Hassanain’s second auto shop on
South 11th Street in Newark, police seized
a bag containing a Tech 9 and five handguns,
including .357-caliber Magnums. Several
hundred thousand dollars were seized at
Dr. Comesanas home, and Hassanain had $10,000
in his sleeve when he was arrested. The
state filed notices of liens for 14 pieces
of real estate owned by Hassanain, which
are alleged to be the proceeds of criminal
activity and which the state will seek to
have forfeited. Detailed information is
attached.
Attorney
General Rabner credited detectives in the
State Police Major Crimes Unit and investigators
in the Division of Criminal Justice - Organized
Crime & Racketeering Bureau for leading
the investigation. Supervising Deputy Attorney
General Mark Eliades is handling the case
for the Attorney General.
Attorney
General Rabner also credited the U.S. Drug
Enforcement Administration New Jersey Division,
under the direction of Special Agent in
Charge Gerard P. McAleer, the Essex County
Prosecutor’s Office, members of the
NY/NJ High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas
program, and the New York State Police for
assisting the investigation. He thanked
the New Jersey Department of Corrections,
Newark Police Department, West Orange Police
Department, Livingston Police Department,
Irvington Police Department Maplewood Police
Department, Union Township Police Department
and Essex County Sheriff’s Department
for assisting in the arrests and execution
of search warrants.
The
charges are merely accusations and the defendants
are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The investigation will be presented to a
state grand jury for review and potential
indictment. The five arrested defendants
are being held in the Essex County Jail
and are expected to be arraigned today in
Superior Court.
Operation
Pandora - Defendants Arrested
- Mohomed
Hassanain,
41, West Orange, $1.5 million bail;
-
Dr. Mario Comesanas,
51, of Livingston, $1 million bail;
-
Ahmed F. “Felix” Aly,
32, of Union, owner of RGN Pharmacy
on Elizabeth Avenue in Newark, who allegedly
knowingly filled fraudulent prescriptions,
$750,000 bail;
-
Stephanie “Sara” McLucas,
54, of Maplewood, an alleged runner
who generated lists of names used by
Dr. Comesanas for fraudulent prescriptions
and filled prescriptions, $1 million
bail;
-
Edmond Roberson,
41, of Union, who allegedly received
fraudulent prescriptions and narcotics
and distributed narcotics, $350,000
bail;
-
Raul Cruz,
27, of Bronx, N.Y., an alleged member
of the Bronx narcotics distribution
ring that received drugs from Hassanain’s
ring, arrested in December in New York.
- Edwin
Polanco,
28, New York City, an alleged member
of the Bronx narcotics ring, arrested
in December in New York.
Top
Properties
of Mohamed Hassanain Subjected to Liens
as Alleged Proceeds of Criminal Activities
-
94 Morse Avenue, Bloomfield
-
30 Edgar Road, West Orange
-
100 Osborne Terrace, Newark
-
332 Clinton Avenue, Newark
-
673-675 Clinton Avenue, Newark
-
389 Halsey Street, Newark
-
21 North 18th Street, Newark
-
56 Highland Ave., Newark
-
24 Highland Ave., Newark
-
222 South Eleventh St., Newark
-
117 RidgewoodAvenue, Newark
-
18 Fabyan Place, Newark
-
47 Park View Terrace, Newark
- 44
North Jefferson Street, Orange
Top
Premises
Searched
-
30 Edgar Road, West Orange, Hassanain’s
home
-
332 Clinton Avenue, Newark, Hassanain’s
auto shop
-
661 South 11th Street, Newark, Hassanain’s
new auto shop
-
21 Grand Terrace, Livingston, Dr. Comesanas’
home
-
78 Jacoby Street, Maplewood, McLucas’
home
-
22 Elizabeth Avenue, Newark, RGN Pharmacy
-
2051 Springfield Avenue, Union Township,
All USA Bail Bonds
-
42 Quabeck Avenue, Irvington
-
203 Seymour Avenue, Apartment 1-B, Newark
-
37 Chadwick Avenue, Apartment 2-A, Newark,
Martin’s residence
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