The coordinated police effort that resulted in the Aug. 2 arrest of two men allegedly running a lucrative narcotics ring between East Hampton and Montauk also led to the unrelated bust of four other drug and weapons trafficking rings elsewhere in Suffolk County.
In a press conference on Thursday, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney described these takedowns as the “largest combined law enforcement effort” ever conducted in the county. He said the agencies are using “all of the means available to us . . . to further public safety.”
The five separate police operations involved 39 defendants and a combined 389 charges, among them attempted murder of a police officer. One takedown involved a subsection of the Bloods gang. The Aug. 2 arrests of Alexandr Dyatchin and Michael Khodorkovskiy, accused of running a narcotics distribution operation in East Hampton Town, were the only ones with a connection to the South Fork.
“All of this work involved hundreds of investigators and hundreds of hours of investigation . . . if not thousands of hours,” Mr. Tierney said.
During the press conference, new details emerged in the cases against Mr. Dyatchin and Mr. Khodorkovskiy.
Mr. Dyatchin had over 1,000 individual baggies of cocaine in a Springs house when he was arrested there on Aug. 2, Mr. Tierney alleged. Also at the house, he was said to have 589 grams of cocaine, 269 grams of ecstasy, and $19,046 in cash, all of which the D.A. alleges were found via the execution of a search warrant.
Mr. Dyatchin’s Mercedes reportedly contained a “trap,” or a hidden compartment, with 50 glassine envelopes of cocaine, which the D.A. argued is indicative of an intent to sell.
In Brooklyn, Mr. Khodorkovskiy , who was arrested almost simultaneously, allegedly possessed over a kilogram of cocaine. Of that quantity, 203 grams were “destined” for Suffolk County, the D.A. claimed. The D.A. said there was $38,550 in cash in Mr. Khodokovskiy's apartment.
Between the two alleged traffickers, the D.A. asserts there were four separate instances in which the men sold over two ounces of cocaine to an undercover officer.
The D.A.’s office had previously alleged in Suffolk County Criminal Court that Mr. Khodorkovskiy largely ran the operation out of his apartment in Brooklyn, while Mr. Dyatchin handled distribution on the South Fork. Police also discovered $100,000 in gold coins in Mr. Khodorkovskiy’s apartment, according to the D.A.’s office.
The two men face a combined 74 counts of drug trafficking charges. If convicted of the top counts against them, Mr. Khodorkovskiy faces 24 years in prison, Mr. Dyatchin 20.
Previously, Suffolk County Criminal Court Judge Steven Pilewski set bail for both men at $2 million cash, despite arguments for lower bail by their respective attorneys, Tony Mirvis for Mr. Khodorkovskiy and Ken Russo for Mr. Dyatchin. Mr. Khodorkovskiy appeared in criminal court on Aug. 15, while Mr. Dyatchin appeared on Aug. 16.
The operation racked up over $1 million in proceeds, Assistant District Attorney Rob Archer claimed at the hearings. The drug task force investigation had been ongoing for over a year, court documents suggest. Both men pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Mr. Khodorkovskiy will appear again in court on Sept. 10, and Mr. Dyatchin will have his follow-up on Sept. 23.