Additional charges for husband of Mob Wives star in massive New Jersey drug bust
Officials arrested the husband of Staten Island “Mob Wives” star Drita D’Avanzo in connection to a major drug bust that took place in New Jersey, the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office announced on Tuesday.
Lee
D’Avanzo, 52, was arrested and charged in connection to “Operation on
the Ropes,” a year-long investigation that busted a total of 24 people
in a ring that allegedly distributed marijuana and infused THC into
popular candies, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni
said.
D’Avanzo,
of Pleasant Plains, was charged with fourth degree conspiracy to
possess marijuana and fourth degree possession of marijuana in excess of
50 grams, Gramiccioni said in a press release.
It is not clear what role exactly D’Avanzo played in the scheme.
During
the operation, prosecutors discovered a distribution network of
THC-infused candies like Nerds Rope and Sour Patch, Gramiccioni said.
“The
network operators used regular candy to further their scheme, buying
hundreds of boxes of product from wholesalers before transporting it to a
processing facility where they would unwrap the individual pieces of
candy, lay it out on trays and then spray the candy with a concentrated
formula of THC distillate,'' Gramiccioni said. "Once the THC dried on
the candy it was repackaged as an illegal marijuana edibles product for
distribution across New Jersey.”
The operation took place in a warehouse on Park Avenue in Manalapan Township, N.J.
“The
packaging on this THC laced ‘candy’ is almost indistinguishable from
regular drug store candy," Monmouth County Chief of Detectives John G.
McCabe said. “Your kids may be getting high right before your eyes if
you are not paying close attention.”
The
Monmouth County Prosecutor’s office gave credit to multiple law
enforcement offices on Tuesday including the Richmond County District
Attorney’s Office and the NYPD’s 123rd Precinct.
PREVIOUS RAID
D’Avanzo was arrested on Dec. 20 after the NYPD raided his home at 226 Woodvale Ave.
When police entered the home then, detectives found two loaded firearms, one inside a bedroom and one in the kitchen, according to the criminal complaint.
NYPD
detectives found hydrocodone, a pain killer, and alprazolam, an
anti-anxiety medication, in the couple’s bedroom, the complaint states.
Detectives
also found “two scales, ziplock bags used for the purpose of unlawfully
packaging a narcotic drug, a sum of United States currency and multiple
cellular phones” inside the home, the complaint alleges.
Police
recovered “a large quantity of marijuana” in the basement and in a
kitchen cabinet that was accessible to their 12-year-old daughter,
according to the complaint.
After
the December arrest, D’Avanzo faced charges of criminal possession of a
controlled substance, criminal possession of a weapon, criminal
possession of a firearm and endangering the welfare of a child.
It is not yet clear if the raid and the New Jersey arrest are connected.
PRIOR ARRESTS
D’Avanzo has served prison stints on numerous federal and state convictions.
He
was arrested in “Operation Turkeyshoot," when four suspects were
allegedly caught trying to break into the vault of a bank in New
Springville in 2008. The evidence indicated that Lee and other suspects
attempted to gain access by drilling through the walls of a neighboring
building, according to Advance archives and documents previously filed
in court by federal prosecutors.
Lee
was on federal probation at the time for similar crimes and he pleaded
guilty. He was sentenced to 36 months to five years in state prison.
In
2003, Lee was sentenced to 62 months in federal prison on a conviction
of racketeering for multiple robberies, marijuana distribution,
loansharking and money laundering.
In
that case, he was identified by prosecutors in court documents as a
member of the “New Springville Boys, a racketeering enterprise with
connections to the Bonanno organized crime family.”
I grew up around the Springville boys..they're a bunch of fkn pinks who needed 5 guys to beat up one person ..fkn p*ssies!!
ReplyDeleteWhat's wrong? We kicked the shut out of you didn't we lol. Don't be mad NS mulberry crew
DeleteI assumed you were the one person
ReplyDeleteAt his age I would think about giving up that life and focusing on my family. Life and for that matter crime is a gamble. The number one rule in gambling is knowing when to walk away.
ReplyDelete