Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Here’s how you know

Dot gov

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Https

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( Lock A locked padlock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

  • Who We Are
    • About
    • Mission
    • History
    • Divisions
      • Atlanta
        • Atlanta Leadership
        • Atlanta Contacts
      • Caribbean
        • Caribbean Leadership
        • Caribbean Contacts
      • Chicago
        • Chicago Leadership
        • Chicago Contacts
      • Dallas
        • Dallas Leadership
        • Dallas Contacts
      • Detroit
        • Detroit Leadership
        • Detroit Contacts
      • El Paso
        • El Paso Leadership
        • El Paso Contacts
      • Headquarters
      • Houston
        • Houston Leadership
        • Houston Contacts
      • Los Angeles
        • Los Angeles Leadership
        • Los Angeles Contacts
      • Louisville
        • Louisville Leadership
        • Louisville Contacts
      • Miami
        • Miami Leadership
        • Miami Contacts
      • New England
        • New England Leadership
        • New England Contacts
      • New Jersey
        • New Jersey Contacts
      • New Orleans
        • New Orleans Leadership
        • New Orleans Contacts
      • New York
        • New York Leadership
        • New York Contacts
      • Omaha
        • Omaha Leadership
        • Omaha Contacts
      • Philadelphia
        • Philadelphia Leadership
        • Philadelphia Contacts
      • Phoenix
        • Phoenix Leadership
        • Phoenix Contacts
      • Rocky Mountain
        • Rocky Mountain Contacts
      • San Diego
        • San Diego Leadership
        • San Diego Contacts
      • San Francisco
        • San Francisco Contacts
      • Seattle
        • Seattle Contacts
      • St. Louis
        • St. Louis Leadership
        • St. Louis Contacts
      • Washington, DC
        • Washington Leadership
        • Washington Contacts
    • DEA Museum
    • Foreign Offices
      • Africa
      • Andean
      • Caribbean
      • Europe
      • Far East
        • Far East Region Leadership
      • Middle East
      • North and Central America
      • Southern Cone
    • Operational Divisions
      • Aviation Division
      • Diversion Control Division
    • Wall of Honor
    • Contact Us
      • Submit a Tip
      • Extortion Scam
      • Public Affairs
      • Social Media Directory
  • What We Do
    • Law Enforcement
      • DEA Office of Training
        • Office of Training Programs
      • El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC)
        • Leadership
        • Mission
        • Services
        • Contacts
      • Forensic Sciences
        • Computer Forensics Program
        • Environmental Management
        • Laboratories
      • Intelligence
      • Operations
        • Administrative Law Judges
        • DEA Asset Forfeiture
        • Domestic Cannabis Suppression / Eradication Program
        • HIDTA
        • OCDETF
        • State and Local Task Forces
    • Education and Prevention
      • DEA’s Family Summit
      • Operation Engage
      • Community Outreach
      • Red Ribbon
        • Kiki and the History of Red Ribbon Week
        • Red Ribbon Toolkit - Resources For Your Community
      • Just Think Twice
      • Campus Drug Prevention
      • Get Smart About Drugs
      • Operation Prevention
    • Drug Information
      • Drug Policy
      • Drug Scheduling
      • The Controlled Substances Act
    • News
      • Alerts
      • Press Releases
      • Most Wanted Fugitives
        • All Fugitives
      • Stories
      • Events
      • Speeches
      • Testimony
    • Campaigns
      • One Pill Can Kill
        • Partner Toolbox
        • Social Media Campaign
      • DEA National Prescription Drug Take Back Day
  • Careers
    • Special Agent
      • Special Agent FAQs
      • Special Agent Job Announcements
    • Diversion Investigator
      • Diversion Investigator Job Announcement
    • Intelligence Research Specialist
      • Intelligence Research Specialist Job Announcements
      • Intelligence Research Specialists FAQs
      • Schedule A Hiring Authority: Intelligence Research Specialist
    • Forensic Sciences Careers
    • Professional & Administrative Careers
    • Student & Entry Level Careers
    • How to Apply
      • Employment Requirements
      • Equal Opportunity Employer
      • How To Claim Veterans' Preference
      • Priority Consideration
      • Benefits
      • Veterans and People With Disabilities
  • Resources
    • Recovery Resources
    • Data and Statistics
      • Domestic Arrests
      • Staffing and Budget
    • FOIA
      • About FOIA
      • Contact DEA FOIA
      • Make a Request
      • What Happens After Making a Request
      • Requester Categories
      • Fees Charged
      • Fee Waiver
      • FOIA FAQ
      • FOIA Logs and Reports
      • FOIA Library
      • Additional FOIA Links
      • FOIA Exemptions
      • What Are Exclusions?
      • Privacy Act
      • Privacy Act Exemptions
      • Privacy Impact Assessment and Management Information Systems
    • Publications
    • Media Galleries
    • Victim Witness Assistance Program
      • Victim Witness Assistance Program Resources

United States Drug Enforcement Administration

  • Search
  • Full Menu

Main Menu

  • Who We Are
  • What We Do
  • Careers
  • Resources
  • Submit A Tip
  • Get Updates
  • Scam Alert
  • English
  • ES

PUBLIC SAFETY ALERT

DEA Reports Widespread Threat of Fentanyl Mixed with Xylazine - DEA Reports Widespread Threat of Fentanyl Mixed with Xylazine

Drug Enforcement Administration

Frank A. Tarentino III Special Agent in Charge
New York
@DEANewYorkDiv
June 27, 2022
Contact:
Phone Number: (212) 337-3900
For Immediate Release

Twelve Charged With Operating An Open Drug Market Inside A Bronx Apartment Building And Carrying Firearms

NEW YORK CITY – Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration, New York Division, and Keechant L. Sewell, Commissioner of the New York City Police Department announced the unsealing of a superseding indictment charging Zukeila Plaza, aka “Keila;” Maurice Sinclair, aka “Skino,” aka “Ski;” Lawrence Green, aka “Lzz,” aka “LJ;” Louis Lawrence, aka “Adam,” aka “Anthony,” aka “A;” Deoin Johnson, aka “Billz,” aka “Black;” Nathan Smith, aka “Youngin,” aka “600,” aka “Six;” Estiben Oliva, aka “Mula;” John Graves, aka “Nephew;” Ali Doby, aka “Lee Drilly,” aka “Fifty;” Goddes Earl, aka “Asia;” Javon Hoskins, aka “Jason,” aka “Twin;” and John Hendricks, aka “Tyson,” aka “Fred,” in connection with their distributing narcotics from the lobby and apartments of a residential building in the Bronx.  Certain of the defendants were also charged with carrying firearms in connection with the drug operation. 

Plaza, Lawrence, Johnson, and Graves were taken into custody on Friday, June 24, 2022 and were presented before United States Magistrate Judge Ona T. Wang.  Earl, Hoskins, and Smith were previously presented after being taken into custody earlier. Green and Doby are in state correctional facilities and will be presented at a later date. Sinclair, Oliva, and Hendricks presently remain at large. The case is assigned to United States District Judge Vernon S. Broderick.

“These arrests have brought much needed relief to residents of an apartment building in the Fordham Manor neighborhood of the Bronx,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino III. “As alleged, for years, this drug trafficking organization manufactured, sold, and packaged dangerous drugs putting neighboring families and residents in harm’s way.  I applaud our law enforcement partners on their collaboration and resolve to make our city safer and healthier.”

 “As alleged in these charges, for more than three years, the defendants in this case took over the lobby and multiple apartments of an apartment building in the Bronx, turning that building into an open market for drugs and denying its many residents, including families with children, safe access to their homes,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “To be clear, armed drug traffickers will face consequences for their actions, whether they are operating on the streets or inside the homes of this city.”

“This investigation shows that the NYPD and its law enforcement partners are relentless in identifying, arresting, and prosecuting those who allegedly peddle drugs or carry and use illegal guns on the streets of New York City,” said Commissioner Sewell. “We vow to keep fighting this criminality, to ensure safer communities for all the people we serve. I want to thank the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, the New York Office of the Drug Enforcement Administration, and all of our investigators for their hard work in this important case.”

As alleged in the Superseding Indictment and based on statements made in Manhattan federal court (attached): 

Zukeila Plaza, aka “Keila” (40); Maurice Sinclair, aka “Skino,” aka “Ski” (26); Lawrence Green, aka “Lzz,” aka “LJ” (28); Louis Lawrence, aka “Adam,” aka “Anthony,” aka “A” (32); Deion Johnson, aka “Billz,” aka “Black” (25); Nathan Smith, aka “Youngin,” aka “600,” aka “Six” (24); Estiben Oliva, aka “Mula” (28); John Graves, aka “Nephew” (35); Ali Doby, aka “Lee Drilly,” aka “Fifty” (20); Goddess Earl, aka “Asia” (49); Javon Hoskins, aka “Jason,” aka “Twin” (41); and John Hendricks, aka “Tyson,” aka “Fred” (56); all of New York City, are charged with being members of a drug trafficking organization (the “DTO”) that distributed drugs, including crack cocaine, fentanyl, and heroin, in the Bronx, including from inside 2685 Valentine Avenue, from March 2019 through June 2022.  Plaza, Sinclair, Green, Lawrence, Johnson, Smith, Earl, and Hoskins are also charged with using and carrying firearms in connection with the charged drug trafficking conspiracy and aiding and abetting the same.

Manufacturing kilograms of crack cocaine on site inside 2685 Valentine Avenue and working in shifts during the day and the night on a day-to-day basis for over three years, the members of the DTO operated freely inside that building, creating an open market for drugs in the building, which they distributed to a large base of customers who bought drugs there.  The drug market the defendants operated often prevented residents of the building, which included families with children, from safely entering the lobby of the apartment building in which they lived.

Smith is also charged with illegally possessing a gun as a felon on February 17, 2022 in the Bronx.    

A set of charts containing the names, charges, and maximum penalties for the defendants is attached.  The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge.

U.S. Attorney Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the DEA and NYPD and thanked the Bronx County District Attorney’s Office for its assistance in this case.

This case is being handled by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit.  Assistant United States Attorneys Peter J. Davis, Michael R. Herman, and Thomas John Wright are in charge of the prosecution.

The charges contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment and the descriptions of the Indictment constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.

                                                                                                                               ###

Superseding Indictment 1 22 Cr. 142 (VSB)
Cocaine Fentanyl Heroin

SAMHSA Behavioral Health Treatment Locator

  • Who We Are
    • About
    • Domestic Divisions
    • Foreign Offices
    • Contact Us
    • DEA Museum
  • What We Do
    • Drug Prevention
    • Law Enforcement
    • Diversion Control Division
    • News
  • Careers
    • Overview
    • Special Agent
    • Diversion Investigator
    • Intelligence Research Specialist
  • Resources
    • Drug Information
    • Employee Assistance Program
    • Equal Opportunity Employer
    • FOIA
    • Publications
    • Media Galleries
    • VWAP
  • Doing Business
    with the DEA
    • Overview
    • Current Vendors
    • Prospective Vendors
    • Security Clauses
    • Security Forms
    • Small Business Program
  • Policies
    • Accessibility, Plug-ins & Policy
    • Legal Policies & Disclaimers
    • No FEAR Act
    • Privacy Policy
    • U.S. Department of Justice EEO Policy
    • USA.gov
    • Whistleblower Protection
Home

United States Drug Enforcement Administration

DEA.gov is an official site of the U.S. Department of Justice
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Instagram

DEA Contact Center

(202) 307-1000 info@dea.gov
Contact the Webmaster