New York Attorney General Letitia James announced the sentencings of five people on Wednesday, March 29, for their role in a gun trafficking operation which resulted in the illegal sale of 16 guns in The Bronx. She said the five defendants, who were charged with trafficking numerous assault weapons, high-capacity feeding devices, semiautomatic pistols, and more than 300 rounds of ammunition, all pled guilty and were sentenced for their respective crimes.

 

Additionally, two of the defendants, Luis Alsina and Michael Alsina, were also sentenced for their roles in the sale of heroin, officials said. Altogether, all five defendants were sentenced to a total of more than 30 years in state prisons, according to the attorney general. The news comes both as the City, State and country continue to grapple with the devastating effects of the opioid crisis, and in the wake of a mass school shooting in Nashville, Tennessee on Monday, March 27, which killed three 9-year-old children and four adults, including the shooter. According to figures from the Office of the State Comptroller, 4,946 people died from opioid overdoses in 2021.

 

The sentencings were the result of a joint investigation between the Office of the Attorney General (OAG), the New York Drug Enforcement Task Force, and the New York Strike Force, officials said, adding that the investigation culminated with the arrest of all five people in February 2020 at which time they were each charged for their respective crimes.

“Gun violence devastates our communities every day and these five individuals fueled this crisis by flooding our streets with assault weapons and heroin,” said James. “Public safety remains our top priority, and with these sentencings, we are continuing to ensure those who cause harm to New Yorkers are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. My office will continue to bring to justice anyone who endangers our communities, and I thank our partners in law enforcement for their critical support and commitment to this cause.”

 

According to the prosecution, the investigation found that Michael Alsina acted as a broker between his firearms suppliers and undercover officers, to whom he sold guns and/or ammunition on ten occasions between June 2019 and November 2019. OAG officials said Luis Alsina provided the firearms and/or ammunition to Michael Alsina on seven of those ten occasions and sold firearms directly to undercover officers on three other occasions between June 2019 and December 2019.

 

Meanwhile, according to the prosecution, Rafael Cruz supplied two firearms in the sales brokered by Michael Alsina, while Miguel Rodriguez and others transported the firearms that were sold to undercover officers. Officials said Josue Pagan-Adorno attempted to transport two assault weapons from Pennsylvania with the intent of selling them in New York, but the firearms were seized by police in New Jersey along the way. Additionally, the prosecution outlined that both Luis Alsina and Michael Alsina sold approximately 250 grams of heroin to an undercover officer on five occasions between August 2019 and September 2019.

As previously reported, James secured more than $256 million for New York City to stem the tide of opioid addiction and overdose as part of a statewide campaign called, “Heal NY: Turning the Tide on the Opioid Crises,” in October 2021, when she announced the funds were part of a $1.5 billion legal settlement reached with various manufacturers and distributors of opioids, and were earmarked for addiction abatement, prevention, education, and treatment resources.

 

Meanwhile, according to the prosecution, all five defendants pled guilty and were sentenced to the following respective terms:

• Luis Alsina, 33, pled guilty last June to one count of the criminal sale of a firearm in the first degree (a Class B violent felony); one count of the criminal sale of a controlled substance in the second degree (a Class A-II felony); and one count of conspiracy in the fourth degree (a Class E felony). He was sentenced to ten years in prison, followed by five years of post-release supervision.
• Michael Alsina, 30, pled guilty last June to one count of the criminal sale of a firearm in the first degree (a Class B violent felony); one count of the criminal sale of a controlled substance in the second degree (a Class A-II felony); and one count of conspiracy in the fourth degree (a Class E felony). He was sentenced to ten years in prison, followed by five years of post-release supervision.
• Miguel Rodriguez, 35, pled guilty in October 2021 to one count of the criminal sale of a firearm in the third degree (a Class D violent felony) and one count of conspiracy in the fourth degree (a Class E felony). He was sentenced to five years in prison, followed by five years of post-release supervision.
• Rafael Cruz, 25, pled guilty last February to one count of the criminal sale of a firearm in the third degree (a Class D violent felony). He was sentenced to two and a half years in prison, followed by three years of post-release supervision.
• Josue Pagan-Adorno, 32, pled guilty last April in the Superior Court of New Jersey in Morris County to unlawful possession of a weapon in the second degree. He was sentenced to five years in New Jersey state prison, with one year of parole ineligibility.

 

The investigation resulted in the recovery of the following firearms and ammunition, according to the OAG:

• seven 9-millimeter semiautomatic pistols;
• three 0.32 caliber revolvers (one inoperable);
• two 5.56-millimeter semiautomatic rifles (assault weapons);
• one 7.62×39-millimeter semiautomatic rifle (assault weapon);
• one 0.40 caliber Carbine (assault weapon);
• one 7.62×39-millimeter single shot rifle;
• one 0.40 caliber semiautomatic pistol;
• one 0.380 caliber semiautomatic pistol;
• one 0.38 caliber revolver;
• 11 high-capacity ammunition feeding devices;
• one bulletproof vest (uncharged); and
• approximately 317 rounds of ammunition.

 

James thanked the members of the New York Strike Force for their partnership in this investigation, including the New York Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York State Police, and the New York City Police Department.

 

The New York Strike Force includes the New York Division of the DEA; the New York State Police; the New York City Police Department, Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations; the U.S. Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Customs and Border Protection; the U.S. Secret Service; the U.S. Marshals Service, the New York National Guard; the Clarkstown Police Department; the U.S. Coast Guard; the Port Washington Police Department; and the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.

Over the past two weeks, we went to 18 counties across New York to meet with communities and provide up to $1.5 billion in funds to fight the opioid epidemic.

From Buffalo to Long Island and the North Country, this money will be vital to ending the devastation caused by opioids. pic.twitter.com/SYYluJGJIX

— NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) October 16, 2021

The attorney general also went on to thank the Mt. Arlington, New Jersey Police Department; Morris County Prosecutor’s Office in New Jersey; and members of the DEA’s New York Drug Enforcement Task Force for what she described as their valuable work and assistance in this investigation and prosecution.

 

The investigation was directed by OAG’s Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF) Investigators Angel Lopez and Andrew Scala, with the assistance of the U.S. Army National Guard Counterdrug Task Force and Supervising Investigator Paul Grzegorski. OCTF investigators are led by Deputy Chief Investigator Andrew Boss, and OAG’s Investigations Bureau is led by Chief Investigator Oliver Pu-Folkes.

 

The case was prosecuted by Assistant Deputy Attorney General Ann Lee, under the supervision of OCTF Downstate Deputy Bureau Chief Lauren Abinanti. Nicole Keary is the Deputy Attorney General in Charge of OCTF. OCTF is a part of the Division for Criminal Justice, which is led by Chief Deputy Attorney General José Maldonado. Both the Investigations Bureau and the Division for Criminal Justice are overseen by First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy.