In a report by The Epoch Times on June 26, 2025, it was announced by the Federal Prosecutor’s Office in the northern district of New York that a large-scale drug trafficking network, which transported drugs from California to New York City and then distributed them further north, had been dismantled. Thirteen individuals were arrested and charged, including a 29-year-old Chinese national, Leon Chen, residing in Long Island City, Queens.
During the operation, federal agents seized nearly 500 kilograms of cocaine, fentanyl pills, 185 pounds of methamphetamine (commonly known as crystal meth), close to 700 pounds of marijuana, other drugs and paraphernalia, a firearm, and over 1 million US dollars in cash.
This operation, the result of an extensive 18-month investigation, was jointly conducted by the DEA, FBI, New York State Police, and various local law enforcement agencies. On the morning of June 12, law enforcement officers executed searches at 24 locations in New York and New Jersey simultaneously, while making arrests in Georgia and Pennsylvania.
According to the federal prosecutors, the defendants are alleged to have formed the Abdelhak drug trafficking group, importing large quantities of cocaine and other drugs from California, using New York City as a transit hub to distribute drugs to communities in the northern, central, and western regions of New York State, as well as in the New York City area.
Federal Prosecutor John A. Sarcone III of the northern district of New York stated, “We have taken a full-scale approach and successfully dismantled a well-organized drug trafficking group rooted in New York City that was flooding communities in upstate New York with large amounts of drugs. This case demonstrates the federal government’s commitment to reclaiming our communities and putting an end to the proliferation of criminal organizations that have rapidly spread in recent years due to weak state laws and even the passive stance of state legislators in New York City.”
DEA agent Frank A. Tarentino emphasized that this operation had dealt a significant blow to the drug trafficking network, but federal efforts to track down drug trafficking groups will not cease.
According to the indictments, most of the defendants face federal felony charges that carry maximum sentences of 10 years to life imprisonment. This case is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force’s (OCDETF) operations, which employ a cross-agency, intelligence-driven approach to combat national criminal organizations.