Video/photos: Staten Island barbershop was go-to place to buy pills, guns, D.A. says


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Jan Somma-Hammel
Print By John M. Annese/Staten Island Advance
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on October 17, 2013 at 2:16 PM, updated October 18, 2013 at 1:25 AM


STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- At this Great Kills barbershop, you could come in for a buzz cut, and leave with a pocket full of pills, or maybe an uzi, prosecutors allege.
The NYPD and Drug Enforcement Administration say they've broken up a drug-and-gun trafficking ring, run by the son of a police officer, that operated out of the Beyond Styles Barber Shop at 12 Giffords Lane -- just around the corner from a bagel store shut down for selling oxycodone over the counter two years ago.

Undercovers bought pills, and later, three handguns and a fully automatic uzi, from members of the conspiracy during their 10-month investigation, authorities said.

Those arrested included Anthony Lagala, 27, of Dierauf Street in Annadale, who authorities describe as the ringleader of the operation and the owner of Beyond Styles; Adam Paone, 29, of Knox Street in Prince's Bay, Lagala's brother-in-law; and Marat Ayzenberg, 30, of Hillbrook Court in Rosebank.

Lagala's father, also Anthony, works as a police officer in the NYPD's 17th Precinct, law enforcement sources said.

Authorities announced the arrests Thursday afternoon during a press conference at District Attorney Daniel Donovan's St. George headquarters.

As authorities tell it, Lagala and company would sell about 200 or 300 pills every few days -- he would bring the drugs into the barbershop, stashing them in a safe inside, then take them home when he left.

He'd get the pills through a supplier whose identity remains under investigation, authorities said.

Would-be buyers learned through word-of-mouth that Beyond Styles was the go-to place for oxycodone, and once undercovers started making buys there, the members of the conspiracy offered to sell them guns as well, authorities said.

The conspiracy sold one handgun for $1,500 at the barbershop itself, authorities said. The undercovers allegedly bought the other firearms at Paone's house -- they included a fully automatic Israeli uzi for $2,500 and two more handguns, for $1,600 each.

Investigators are still looking into where the weapons came from, though Paone seemed to handle that part of the operation, according to authorities.

This week, the NYPD and DEA executed seven search warrants at various locations -- the barbershop, the suspects' homes and a number of vehicles, authorities said.

Lagala was carrying 263 oxycodone pills when police arrested him, authorities said.

Police made two other arrests this week -- Lagala's 23-year-old brother, Sal, who had oxycodone in his room when investigators searched it, and Paone's brother, Thomas, 25, who tried to prevent DEA agents from entering their Knox Street home, authorities allege.

"The operation was set up at Beyond Styles barbershop and what took place there was beyond the pale," said Donovan.

Donovan said the transactions took place at the shop in seclusion from the daily activities.

"It was an active barbershop where they cut hair," he said. "Children went there to get their hair cut."

Anthony Lagala, who's being held without bail, faces up to 88 years in prison if convicted of the charges against him, Donovan said. Paone, who's also locked up without bail, could face up to 47 years in prison, while Ayzenberg, who's held on $500,000 bail, could face 21 years.

"These cases are a priority for us. It's what's killing the most people, certainly in New York City and especially in Staten Island," said Brian R. Crowell, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA's New York Division.

According to authorities, the drug-selling operation was undeterred by a high-profile bust at the former Nel-Boy Bagels at 3988 Amboy Rd. in Aug. 2011.

In that case, police arrested 25 people loosely connected to an oxycodone-dealing ring operating from the bagel store. The store's owner, Syed Rashid, 51, of Annadale, was sentenced last Thursday to six years in state prison.

Back in 2011, the barbershop showed up on law enforcement's radar as well, said Sal Sottile -- whose firm, Sottile Security, patrolled the area at the behest of the South Shore Merchants Association, and through a grant provided by Councilman Vincent Ignizio (R-South Shore).

His employees, many of whom are retired officers, noticed suspicious activity around the barbershop -- "A lot of traffic, a lot of people going in and not getting any type of haircuts" -- and conveyed what they learned to police, he said.

"That's the same thing we saw at Nel-Boy, a lot of people going in and out, and coming out empty-handed," Sottile said. "We just monitor the unusual, and on the list of things, that was one of the unusuals."

Magdy (Mike) Monsour, the owner of Famous Falafel, next door to the barbershop, said he wasn't surprised about the pill-dealing allegations, since he'd always see teens lurking around the front of his store at odd hours.

As for the arrests, he said, "Good idea. Clean up the street. Clean up Great Kills."

Donovan called community involvement a "big help" in breaking the case, and noted that the residents of Great Kills knew the barbershop as a drug hub.

On Wednesday night, he said, he spoke at a meeting at Our Lady Star of the Sea R.C. Church in Huguenot, "and I announced that today they would see that we took down that barbershop. And people applauded. They were all aware of it, 100 people last night."

Only in New York!

there hitting people just as hard as they do the domincans with the herion in most states up here in mass there put oxycodone and contin in the same class a as herion and other strong ass opiates some of these white kids have know idea when they pick 100 or 200 to make a 2 dollar profit on each pill how much time you get until its all over. a kid I know guy pinched with 30 of the blues they want a 3 to 5 state prison first bid. harsh. shit you buy 100 blue 30% for 16 bucks give it to the next guy at 19 to make 300$, you do it 2or3 times you trafficked like over 10000milligrams of the shit no way not worth it. it was nice 10yrs ago when you could buy a friends back problems purscription and make a quick couple dollars not anymore.

those roxi 30's what they call blues have been an epidemic on staten island for some time. its sad that its gotten so bad that you could walk into a bagel joint and get some dope.

Big pill problem on SI. Lots of up and comers like these guys.

Where are all these oxy pills on Staten Island coming from? Quack doctors whose offices are really just pill mills? Or from people who have legal scripts for legitimate injuries but decide to sell their meds?

That still wouldn't be nearly enough for all the people that are taking those oxy pills unless there is a very large number of quack doctors running pill mills. Your tolerance builds up so people need to keep taking more and more of the crap. Sooner or later all these pill heads will be scoring dope and getting hooked on junk and that is bad news.

That's a big concern giancarlo but there probably being mass-produced and coming in from Canada and Mexico as well.

its nuts on the island i once knew a street right near arthur kills where like whole families were sellin this shit. im talkin the kids the mom the gmom(and that was years ago its much worse now). its truly been nuts on staten island with those things sad story

some of these pills are coming straight from the factory themselves..people on the inside smuggling them out.
IMO I think the companies that make these pills dont really give a shit who is buying them with a script or without.

From the places I've been and people I've talked too this isn't uncommon. It's just not on SI. It's prominent everywhere. Legislation for Schedule II Drugs is also a battle in congress right now and protecting people's rights and privacy.

Oxycodone is already a schedule 2 drug so they really can't do much except to ban it and make it a schedule 1 which will never happen. Too many people legitimately need it. Best they can do is crack down on the supply chain. They watch which pharmacies fill the scripts and the doctors who write them. But if it's being brought into the area from elsewhere then it's just like any other drug and they'll have to go after whoever is controlling the pipeline.

Alot of people who are taking these oxy's also take xanax with it and that seems to be a dangerous combination, i've read there are a decent amount of people who have died taking that combination of oxy and Alprazolam (xanax). As peoples tolerance goes up they have to take larger doses of both and thats when people start overdosing.

All these pill addicts will be slamming dope before long. More economical and sooner or later the supply of oxy will go down and they'll need a replacement. I'm sure the local H dealers will love that...more consumers looking to score their product.

its already happened. the oxys cost way to much on the street for those who are addicted and need them everyday thus the skyrocketing use of h in the suburbs.

Damn, thats a real shame...sorry to hear that. Like most drugs it's fun at first but it gets old real quickly. It sucks when you need any drug just to get through the day. I would imagine they have those methadone clinics on Staten Island or nearby in Brooklyn, probably the safest way to get off the shit. Just gradually taper down over time instead of just going cold turkey.

another drug and gun bust in the same area.

Routine traffic stop on Staten Island leads to stash of guns, drugs, say prosecutors
Print By Frank Donnelly/Staten Island Advance
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on October 26, 2013 at 9:05 AM, updated October 26, 2013 at 9:10 AM

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A routine traffic stop Wednesday in Great Kills led to the seizure of a small arsenal of guns and ammo, along with a cache of drugs in the suspect's home, said prosecutors.

Peter Potenza, 51, of Tarlee Place, was pulled over about 3:30 p.m. near the intersection of Dewey and Shafter avenues, after failing to signal a left-hand turn, said police.

Cops saw an open alcohol container in plain view and also found two loaded guns -- a Kel-Tec P-11 9 mm and a North American Arms .22-caliber -- court papers said.

Potenza told officers he had the weapons for protection because he's been robbed, said a law enforcement source.

On searching Potenza's 2010 Hyundai Sonata later at the 122nd Precinct, officers discovered 52 plastic bags of heroin and 21 plastic bags of cocaine, court documents said.

Police obtained a search warrant for the suspect's Great Kills home and found a stash of guns -- nine rifles, two shotguns, a sawed-off shotgun, three imitation pistols and more than 300 rounds of ammunition, said court records.

"I bought them for my house for protection. I didn't have them licensed," the source quoted the suspect as telling cops.

Officers also seized heroin, cocaine, marijuana and dozens of pills, including amphetamines; alprazolam, an anti-anxiety drug; clonazepam, a seizure medicine, and diazepam, the generic name for Valium.

Potenza was charged with felony and misdemeanor counts of weapon- and drug-possession, said a spokesman for District Attorney Daniel Donovan. He's also accused of unlawful ammunition possession, unlawful rifle or shotgun possession, and unlawful imitation pistol possession.

Potenza was arraigned Friday in Stapleton Criminal Court where bail was set at $100,000.

drugs in their rooms..........SMH

the average retarded gangbanger don't keep drugs in their rooms