Twenty-two defendants which included reputed mobsters from four of the five New York mafia families were busted on drug,tax fraud, and illegal gambling charges.
According to prosecutors, the mafia was part of a $15 million dollar cross-country weed distribution operation that ran from 2014-2015. Reputed Bonanno family mobster Richard Sinde was one of the ringleaders of the massive pot-peddling operation which shipped high-end product from legal farms in California to New York. NYPD Criminal Enterprise Investigative Unit Inspector John Denesopolis said “They were overgrowing during their natural harvest season. They also used hydroponics inside, and also they grew this pot inside of greenhouses.”
The operation used FedEx and cars to transport the illegal pot from the “Emerald Triangle” out west to New York. Parisi Bakery scion Frank Parisi was also busted accused of possessing over 20 pounds of pot which he was to distribute on the streets of New York. He was also accused with co-defendants Frank Galesi and Carl Muraco for participating in a $1 million dollar illegal gambling operation based at Bklynsportscenter.com. Among the others arrested included reputed
Among the others included in the indictment was reputed Gambino family captain Michael “Mickey Boy” Paradiso of Staten Island who was charged with conspiracy in the pot scheme. The 33-year-old grandson of Genovese family capo Lawrence Dentico was also busted along with reputed associates of the Gambino and Colombo families.
In total six of the defendants are also charged with tax fraud for failing to report illegal profits and four were charged for roles in the Oxycodone ring. Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Neil Ross is set to continue arraignments in the case.
