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Manning, others denied bail on drug charges
Mar 31, 10 11:04 AM
Nine charged in East End drug sweep
Mar 16, 10 7:18 PM
moreSouthampton Town Police narcotics investigators and federal Drug Enforcement Agency agents arrested five men this week on charges they were distributing crack cocaine throughout the East End.
The arrests, made on Tuesday, were the culmination of a yearlong investigation, according to Southampton Police Sergeant James Kiernan, and were the second major drug bust on the East End in the last week. On Thursday, East Hampton Town Police arrested nine East Hampton and Southampton town residents on cocaine distribution charges in a separate yearlong investigation in conjunction with the East End Drug Task Force.
Among those charged on Tuesday is Charles Maurice Manning, 29, of Bridgehampton and Riverhead, a former Bridgehampton School basketball star who was the head of the distribution ring, Special Agent Erin Mulvey of the DEA said. Mr. Manning was charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and distribution of a cocaine base. Kareem S. Coffey, 29, of Noyac is charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and distribution of cocaine. If convicted, Mr. Manning and Mr. Coffey face between 10 and 20 years in prison based on mandatory federal guidelines associated with conspiracy charges.
Three other men arrested as part of the investigation are charged with distribution of cocaine: Terrence K. Johnson, 34, of Southampton and Riverhead; Allen T. Hopson, 32, of Southampton; and Raymond E. Gilliam, 27, of Bridgehampton. Sgt. Kiernan said each defendant faces between five and 10 years in prison if convicted.
Ms. Mulvey said the DEA agents and Southampton Town Police officers conducted undercover purchases and surveillance over the course of the last year to collect enough probable cause to obtain the five federal indictments against the suspects. The charges are being handled in federal court.
Southampton police said this week they recovered approximately 4 ounces of crack cocaine, packaging material and scales during their investigation, which began in January 2009. The crack would sell for about $4,000 on the streets of New York and Long Island, Agent Mulvey said.
Police said the narcotics investigators, the DEA and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, which was brought into the investigation in November 2009, have worked together in the past, leading to drug busts in Riverside, Bridgehampton and Southampton. Sgt. Kiernan said the police department conducts ongoing investigations of drug trafficking and often calls in the DEA when the investigation reveals a high quantity of drugs is involved, which was the case in this investigation.
The investigation is ongoing and police expect more arrests in the future, Sgt. Kiernan said. Police ask that anyone with information call the Southampton Town Police Street Crime Unit at (631) 702-2245 or the crime hotline at (631) 728-3454.
