EIGHT DEFENDANTS INDICTED FOR ALLEGEDLY OPERATING AN ILLEGAL NARCOTICS MAIL ORDER SCHEME

(SUFFOLK COUNTY, N.Y.) – Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that ELEOMAR PEREZ-SERRANO and his co-conspirators, MARIA NIEVES, CARLOS VAZQUEZ, BRIAN RUIZ-CHAPARRO, LINDA WAHLEN, LYNN CHODKOWSKI, SAMUEL RODRIGUEZ, and OMAR LOPEZ-PEREZ, were indicted for their roles in an alleged cocaine distribution ring in which kilogram weight cocaine parcels were shipped from Puerto Rico to Long Island through the United States Postal Service, and then sold on the streets in Suffolk County.

“These defendants allegedly used the United States Postal Service to ship numerous parcels containing cocaine from Puerto Rico to locations in both Suffolk County and Nassau County,” said District Attorney Tierney. “While these alleged peddlers of dangerous and illegal drugs were creative in their attempts to violate the law, thanks to our law enforcement partnerships, we unraveled the scheme. Drug dealers should be on notice, we will find you and bring you to justice.”

District Attorney Tierney expressed his thanks to Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) and the United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General (“USPS OIG”).

“As alleged, the defendants used the U.S. Postal Service mail system to run a multimillion-dollar drug operation on Long Island,” said HSI New York Special Agent in Charge Ivan J. Arvelo. “We are proud of our partnership with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Postal Service, U.S. Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General and Suffolk County Police Department in our ongoing efforts to keep criminal organizations from furthering their illicit enterprises by utilizing important Government institutions, such as the U.S. Mail.”

“The Postal Inspection Service continues to dismantle drug trafficking organizations and keep them from using the Postal Service to distribute illicit drugs and endangering the safety of our communities,” said USPIS New York Division Inspector in Charge Daniel Brubaker. “Postal Inspectors will stop at nothing until all targets are brought to justice.”

According to the investigation, between March 2022, and June 2023, ELEOMAR PEREZ-SERRANO allegedly received numerous parcels believed to contain cocaine every few weeks. In March 2023, when his predecessor was killed in Puerto Rico, PEREZ-SERRANO allegedly assumed leadership of the local operation and allegedly took on coordinating the shipment of cocaine parcels to Suffolk County and to his apartment building in Nassau County where he resided with MARIA NIEVES. After taking possession of the narcotic, the co-conspirators worked together to distribute cocaine in Suffolk County.

On June 6, 2023, law enforcement executed multiple search warrants resulting in the following:

• At the apartment of defendants PEREZ SERRANO and NIEVES in Westbury, members of law enforcement allegedly recovered two-kilogram bricks of cocaine, one of which was found unsecured beneath a sink, and the other was found in a box beneath a child’s crib. Law enforcement also allegedly recovered numerous bags containing cocaine and crack cocaine that were packaged for sale, eight cellular telephones including the ones used to procure and distribute cocaine, three digital scales used to weigh drugs, a money counter, materials used to package drugs for sale, and approximately $25,000 in cash.
• At defendant BRIAN RUIZ-CHAPARRO’s residence in Huntington Station, law enforcement allegedly recovered four ounces of cocaine, two cellular telephones, a digital scale and materials used to package drugs for sale.
• It is also alleged that RUIZ-CHAPARRO received a parcel believed to contain cocaine in furtherance of the enterprise, and allegedly engaged in narcotics distribution along with PEREZ-SERRANO and allowed PEREZ-SERRANO to use his vehicle to further the distribution of cocaine in Suffolk County.
• At defendant SAMUEL RODRIGUEZ’s residence in Bay Shore, law enforcement allegedly recovered a cellular telephone he used in furtherance of his procurement of cocaine, over $9,000 in cash, and a digital scale. It is also alleged that RODRIGUEZ purchased large quantities of cocaine for re-sale from PEREZ-SERRANO.

During the investigation, PEREZ-SERRANO and CARLOS VAZQUEZ allegedly discussed making a daily profit of at least $2,000 from the street level sales of cocaine in Suffolk County, which would amount to almost a quarter of a million dollars in profit during the time of the conspiracy. In addition to street level deals, PEREZ-SERRANO also allegedly sold cocaine to resellers, making an even greater profit. 

After search warrants were executed on June 6, 2023, the USPS OIG became aware that two additional parcels were in transit from Puerto Rico and headed to locations allegedly previously used by defendant PEREZ-SERRANO to receive parcels containing cocaine. One of the parcels was allegedly addressed to defendant LINDA WAHLEN’s residence, and the other was allegedly destined for the apartment building where defendants PEREZ-SERRANO and NIEVES resided. Those two parcels were seized and searched pursuant to federal search warrants, and each parcel was found to contain approximately 35 ounces of cocaine —two kilograms in total— that were concealed within pool float boxes.

PEREZ SERRANO, 33, of Westbury, is charged with:

• One count of Operating as a Major Drug Trafficker (Acting as a Director), a Class A-I felony;
• One count of Operating as a Major Drug Trafficker (Profiteer-Possession), a Class A-I felony;
• Two counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree, Class A-I felonies;
• One count of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Second Degree, a Class A-II felony;
• Two counts of Attempted Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree, Class A-I felonies;
• One count of Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a Class B felony;
• One count of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a Class B felony;
• Six counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree (Intent to Sell Narcotic Drug), Class B felonies;
• Two counts of Attempted Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree (Intent to Sell Narcotic Drug), Class C felonies;
• Two counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Seventh Degree, Class A misdemeanors; and
• Two counts of Criminal Use of Drug Paraphernalia in the Second Degree, Class A misdemeanors.

NIEVES, 28, of Westbury, is charged with:

• Two counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree, Class A-I felonies;
• One count of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Second Degree, a Class A-II felony;
• One count of Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a Class B felony;
• One count of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a Class B felony;
• Six counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree (Intent to Sell a Narcotic Drug), Class B felonies;
• Two counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Seventh Degree, Class A misdemeanors; and
• Two counts of Criminal Use of Drug Paraphernalia in the Second Degree, Class A misdemeanors.

VAZQUEZ, 52, of Huntington, is charged with:

• One count of Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a Class B felony; and
• One count of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Seventh Degree, a Class A Misdemeanor.

RUIZ-CHAPARRO, 34, of Huntington Station, is charged with:

• One count of Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a Class B felony;
• One count of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Second Degree, a Class A-II felony;
• One count of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree (Intent to Sell a Narcotic Drug), a Class B felony; and
• Two counts of Criminal Use of Drug Paraphernalia in the Second Degree, Class A misdemeanors.

WAHLEN, 57, of Huntington Station, is charged with:

• One count of Attempted Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree, a Class A-I felony; and
• One count of Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a Class B felony.

CHODKOWSKI, 61, of Huntington, is charged with:

• One count of Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a Class B felony.

LOPEZ-PEREZ, 38, of Huntington Station, is charged with:

• One count of Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a Class B felony.

RODRIGUEZ, 54, of Bay Shore, is charged with:

• One count of Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a Class B felony; and
• One count of Criminal Use of Drug Paraphernalia in the Second Degree, a Class A misdemeanor.

On July 17, 2023, defendant PEREZ-SERRANO was arraigned on the indictment before County Court Judge, the Honorable Anthony S. Senft, Jr., who ordered him held on $1.5 million cash, $3 million bond or $15 million partially secured bond during the pendency of the case. Perez-Serrano is due back in court on August 15, 2023, and is being represented by Robert Macedonio, Esq.

Defendant NIEVES is scheduled to be arraigned on July 25, 2023, in front of Judge Senft. She is represented by Robert Macedonio, Esq.

Defendant VASQUEZ is scheduled to be arraigned on August 2, 2023, in front of Judge Senft. VASQUEZ is represented by Danielle Coysh, Esq.

Defendant RUIZ-CHAPARRO is scheduled to be arraigned on July 25, 2023, in front of Judge Senft. RUIZ-CHAPARRO is represented by Steve Fondulis, Esq.

Defendant WAHLEN is scheduled to be arraigned on July 25, 2023, in front of Judge Senft. WAHLEN is represented by Eric Besso, Esq.

Defendant CHODKOWSKI is scheduled to be arraigned on July 25, 2023, in front of Judge Senft. CHODKOWSKI is represented by Robert Kelly, Esq.

Defendant LOPEZ-PEREZ is scheduled to be arraigned on July 25, 2023, in front of Judge Senft. LOPEZ-PEREZ is being represented by Brett Bennett, Esq.

Defendant RODRIGUEZ is scheduled to be arraigned on July 25, 2023, in front of Judge Senft. RODRIGUEZ is being represented by Katherine Fernandez, Esq.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Nicole Felice of the Narcotics Bureau, with investigative assistance from Detective Robert Stueber of the Suffolk County Police Department’s Narcotics Section, Special Agent Adebola Awe from the United States Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations Inspector Kayvan Kazemi with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Special Agents from the United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General.

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Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. No one is above the law.

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