Members of Staten Island narcotics distribution network arrested on federal drug and firearm charges
NEW YORK - Five individuals who are believed to have run a crack and powder cocaine distribution network based on Staten Island, New York, have been arrested, following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)and the New York City Police Department (NYPD). A five-count superseding indictment in the case was unsealed Wednesday in the Eastern District of New York and is the result of an ongoing investigation into criminal activity on the north shore of Staten Island. The five defendants are Andre Collier, 30; Benito Il Defonso, 34; Steven Il Defonso, 32; Alexandra Klein, 32; and Dion Nelson, 31; will appear in federal court at noon Friday, February 11, 2011, before U.S. District Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis in Brooklyn, New York.