Cash, Heroin, Cocaine Seized Following Arrest of 9 in Utica

It took police five months to investigate and three days to execute search warrants, but in the end nine people were arrested in a drug bust in Oneida and Herkimer counties.

Sheriff Rob Maciol of The Oneida County Sheriff's Office held a press conference this afternoon alongside with representatives from the Drug Enforcement Administration Syracuse Resident Office, New York State Police Community Narcotics Enforcement Team (NYSP CNET), Rome Police Department, and Utica Police Department.

Search warrants carried out between April 3 through April 5, 2016 resulted in the seizure, Sheriff Rob Maciol says, of more than three pounds of cocaine, an ounce of heroin, approximately $30,000 in U.S. currency, vehicles, and weapons, all of which were seized from homes in Utica, Frankfort, and Sauquoit, New York.

A written release from the Oneida County Sheriff's Office includes the following statements:

"On April 3, 2016, DEA Special Agents and Task Force Officers, Investigators with the Oneida County Sheriff's Office, New York State Police Community Narcotics Enforcement Team, Rome Police Department SIU, Utica Police Department and uniformed NYSP Troopers executed a search warrant on a vehicle that was traveling on Interstate 90 just before the Utica, NY exit. The search warrant execution resulted in the recovery of approximately a kilogram of cocaine from within the vehicle. Juan Delacruz and Fior Delacruz both of Utica, were arrested and both were charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the 1st Degree, a Class A-1 Felony. Agents, Officers and Investigators then executed search warrants at 1615 Bleeker St. and 1614 Elm St. in the City of Utica on the same date. Officers recovered over 8 ounces of cocaine, over an ounce of heroin and a weapon from within 1615 Bleecker St. Cutting agents, drug paraphernalia and U.S. Currency was recovered from within the residence at 1614 Elm St. Joel Lopez-Ramos was arrested following the execution of the search warrant at 1615 Bleecker St. and he was charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the 2nd Degree, a Class A-II Felony. Juan Delacruz, Fior Delacruz and Joel Lopez-Ramos were arraigned in Utica City Court and committed to the Oneida County Jail on no bail.

On April 4, DEA Special Agents and Task Force Officers, Investigators with the Oneida County Sheriff's Office and New York State Police CNET executed a search warrant at 6 Carefree Ln., Sauquoit, NY. Officers recovered over one ounce of cocaine from within the residence. Michael Kulik was arrested and charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the 3rd Degree, a Class B Felony. Kulik was arraigned and committed to Oneida County Jail on $30,000 bail.

On April 5, 2016, The NYS Police SORT team, the Oneida County Sheriff's Office SWAT team, The Rome Police Department SRT and the Utica-New Hartford Metro SWAT team assisted with making entries into multiple residences in the City of Utica and a residence in the Town of Frankfort so that search warrants could be executed. The addresses that the search warrants were executed on were 1423 Albany St., Utica, 769 Elizabeth St., Utica, 514/516 Kossuth St., Utica, 1502 High St., Utica and 223 Hardiman Pl., Frankfort, NY. "

Those arrested, and the charges they face, include:

Julia Baez-Garcia of Utica, New York - criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree (Class B felony)
Fior Delazcruz of Utica, New York - criminal possession of a controlled substance in the first degree (Class A1 felony)
Juan Delacruz of Utica, New York - criminal possession of a controlled substance in the first degree (Class A1 Felony)
Valeria Garcia of Utica, New York - criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree (Class B felony)
Michael Kulik of Sauquoit, New York - criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree (Class B felony)
Joel Lopez-Ramos of Utica, New York - criminal possession of a controlled substance in the second degree (Class A-11 felony)
Juan Ortiz-Rodriguez of Utica, New York - criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree (Class B felony)
Francisco Javier Pion-Poueriet of Utica, New York - criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree (Class B felony)
Avelino Vargas of Utica, New York - (charges pending)

All of the suspects, who are innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law, are being held at the Oneida County Jail.

Sheriff Maciol notes that Avelino Vargas, "...faces charges in the Northern District of New York Federal Court after being charged by the US Attorney's Office following the execution of the search warrant at his residence after he provided false information to a Border Patrol Agent and a loaded weapon was discovered in his residence. Further charges for Vargas are pending Grand Jury action."

Maciol noted that, because of the immigration status of some of the suspects, the ongoing investigation includes the participation of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

Other agencies involved include the Oneida County District Attorney's Office, the Onondaga County District Attorney's Office, and the Auburn Police Department.

In the written release DEA Special Agent in Charge James J. Hunt said, "A motley crew of drug traffickers were wreaking havoc throughout our neighborhoods selling drugs while fueling drug addiction. Between April 3 and April 5, federal, state and local law enforcement pooled resources to arrest nine members of this drug crew reclaiming our community from the consequences of drug trafficking in the process."