Eleven indicted for allegedly trafficking fentanyl and heroin into Staten Island and Manhattan

Updated: Wednesday, January 17, 2018, 7:12 PM
A Staten Island drug crew preyed on the vulnerable — and then some — going so far as to build its opioid business by luring people from a drug treatment program, federal authorities said Wednesday.

Eleven suspected members of the ring were indicted in Manhattan Federal Court on charges of conspiring since 2015 to distribute heroin and fentanyl in Staten Island, Brooklyn, Manhattan and parts of New Jersey, officials said.

The alleged conspiracy involved over one kilogram of heroin, as well as “mixtures and substances containing a detectable amount of fentanyl,” the indictment stated.

Ten of the accused are in custody, while the last suspect is being sought, officials said.

Those charged include Medin (Dino) Kosic, Jasmin (Min) Cejovic, Paul Van Manen, Shaun Sullivan, Theodore (Freddy) Banasky, Anthony Francese, Alexander Bucci, Joseph (Cuch) Cucciniello, Kenneth Charlton, Mirsad (Mike) Bogdanovic and Jennifer Bogdanovic, according to court papers.

The Bogdanovics are married, an official said.

According to the indictment, those charged “played different roles” within the organization. Kosic allegedly supplied dope for distribution, while Banasky and Francese are accused of running stash houses in Brooklyn and Staten Island “on behalf of” Kosic, court papers said.

Charlton lured customers to the ring, including from “a drug treatment program,” the indictment claims.

Some alleged participants also knew just how dangerous their product was because one of them overdosed on it, federal authorities feds further state.

Sullivan was found unconscious Oct. 5 in his Staten Island home, the feds said. He was one of the lucky ones — naloxone reversed his OD.

Sullivan and Van Manen allegedly got the drug from Kosic the night before Sullivan’s overdose. According to authorities, Van Manen told Kosic that “Shaun ... this morning he did two pieces and OD’ed.”

Kosic later allegedly asked if the overdose was “surprising.”

“Not surprising, no,” Van Manen later replied, the feds said.

The arrests stem from an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, NYPD, New York State Police and Homeland Security.

who are the albanians? the surnames sound serbian, italian and other mixed up

Van Manen sounds dutch lol.

Banasky sounds Ukrainian TBH but much like “Russian Mafia”, it’s the feds grouping similar nationalities together although they are light years apart IMO. Honestly, it does sound like Albanian, Ukrainian, Bosnian, Italian and then the users/peddlers who are Americans.

https://gangstersoutt.blogspot.ca/2018/01/pray-for-death-albanian-crew-kept.htmlhttps://gangstersoutt.blogspot.ca/2018/01/pray-for-death-albanian-crew-kept.html

Fentanyl is often used as a form of cheap synthetic heroin, or cut with heroin.

Apparently a fentanyl high is similar to a heroin high, but fentanyl carries a much greater risk of an overdose.

My best friend in Detroit (I don't live there anymore) died from a hit of fentanyl that was sold to him as heroin. He was selling a story to Vice Magazine about the amount of dangerous fentanyl on Detroit streets being sold as heroin when he died. It was so fucking ironic.

I'm surprised these guys deal fent given that they are almost guaranteed to get caught and given ten years in prison. May be they don't mind prison?