By Adam Bosch-Times Herald-Record Published: 2:00 AM - 06/17/11
Authorities have busted a huge drug distribution network that used Woodbury Common Premium Outlets at least once as a hub to push cocaine from Atlanta to Albany.
The 178-count indictment was unsealed Wednesday, charging 37 people, including an Ellenville man, with felonies that included criminal sale of a controlled substance and conspiracy. Authorities say the sting — dubbed "Operation Pipeline" — culminated six months of undercover drug buys, wiretaps and covert surveillance.
"This investigation has shut down a major pipeline of illegal drugs coming into the Capital Region from up and down the East Coast," said state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, whose Organized Crime Taskforce led the multi-agency investigation.
Norman Whitehead, 37, of Ellenville, was named by police as one of the key drug peddlers swept up by the operation. Authorities said Whitehead's step-brother, 40-year-old Ken Williams, secured some of the narcotics in Atlanta and then ran them up the East Coast. Williams met Whitehead once at Woodbury Common, outside the UGG shoe store, and exchanged cocaine for Whitehead to distribute in the Albany area, authorities said.
Police who've worked on similar investigations said a busy venue such as Woodbury Common is perfect for dealers because they can blend into a crowd and are near highways.
"Parking lots of large malls have the key elements that are conducive to drug dealers so they can get in and out where not everybody's paying attention," said state police Capt. Joe Tripodo.
Through a spokesman, Woodbury Common management declined to comment.
Authorities have busted a huge drug distribution network that used Woodbury Common Premium Outlets at least once as a hub to push cocaine from Atlanta to Albany.
The 178-count indictment was unsealed Wednesday, charging 37 people, including an Ellenville man, with felonies that included criminal sale of a controlled substance and conspiracy. Authorities say the sting — dubbed "Operation Pipeline" — culminated six months of undercover drug buys, wiretaps and covert surveillance.
"This investigation has shut down a major pipeline of illegal drugs coming into the Capital Region from up and down the East Coast," said state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, whose Organized Crime Taskforce led the multi-agency investigation.
Norman Whitehead, 37, of Ellenville, was named by police as one of the key drug peddlers swept up by the operation. Authorities said Whitehead's step-brother, 40-year-old Ken Williams, secured some of the narcotics in Atlanta and then ran them up the East Coast. Williams met Whitehead once at Woodbury Common, outside the UGG shoe store, and exchanged cocaine for Whitehead to distribute in the Albany area, authorities said.
Police who've worked on similar investigations said a busy venue such as Woodbury Common is perfect for dealers because they can blend into a crowd and are near highways.
"Parking lots of large malls have the key elements that are conducive to drug dealers so they can get in and out where not everybody's paying attention," said state police Capt. Joe Tripodo.
Through a spokesman, Woodbury Common management declined to comment.
Whitehead has been a longtime troublemaker in Ellenville. Court records show numerous arrests dating back to 1999. They included charges of unlawful possession of marijuana, possession of cocaine and failing to feed his dog.
His only felony arrest came in 2008, when police said Whitehead held his girlfriend's head under water and threatened to kill her. But Whitehead's girlfriend would not testify. He escaped that charge and many others, earning him the nickname of "Teflon Don" around the village.
Authorities say he was arrested at a home he owns outside Schenectady.
A watchful mother unwittingly led police to the drug network. The investigation began after Albany's police chief received a letter from the worried mother, who said her daughter had been offered drugs. Police monitored the location mentioned by the mother and found one of the network's major cocaine distributors in the Capital Region.
In the end, investigators recovered more than 1.5 kilograms of cocaine with a street value of roughly $140,000.
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His only felony arrest came in 2008, when police said Whitehead held his girlfriend's head under water and threatened to kill her. But Whitehead's girlfriend would not testify. He escaped that charge and many others, earning him the nickname of "Teflon Don" around the village.
Authorities say he was arrested at a home he owns outside Schenectady.
A watchful mother unwittingly led police to the drug network. The investigation began after Albany's police chief received a letter from the worried mother, who said her daughter had been offered drugs. Police monitored the location mentioned by the mother and found one of the network's major cocaine distributors in the Capital Region.
In the end, investigators recovered more than 1.5 kilograms of cocaine with a street value of roughly $140,000.
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