Two Defendants Linked to Fatal Overdose – Second Overdose Victim Revived by Medics
A criminal complaint was unsealed today in federal court in Brooklyn charging Keith Wyche, Allen O’Neil and Kyron Graham, alleged members of the Bloods street gang, with conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl on Staten Island. Wyche and O’Neil were also charged with distribution of narcotics that caused death and serious bodily injury. The defendants were arrested today and are scheduled to make their initial appearances this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Robert M. Levy.
Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Gregory W. Ehrie, Special Agent-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Newark Field Office (FBI), and James P. O’Neill, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the arrests. Mr. Donoghue thanked the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey for their substantial assistance in the investigation, as well as the Richmond County District Attorney’s Office.
“As alleged, the defendants sold large amounts of dangerous narcotics, including pure fentanyl to unsuspecting buyers, for their own profit and without concern for the deadly consequences of their actions,” stated United States Attorney Donoghue. “Together with the FBI and the NYPD, our Office is working tirelessly to identify and prosecute those drug traffickers responsible for the opioid crisis.”
“Today's arrests are a direct result of the hard work and dedication shared between state, local and federal authorities in their efforts to combat gang members who distribute dangerous drugs like heroin and fentanyl in our communities,” stated FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Ehrie. “This was a tragic incident which caused the death of one individual and seriously injured another. The FBI and our partners will continue to pursue investigations into individuals and groups who have furthered the scourge of opioids in our communities.”
“Abuse of heroin and the deadly additive fentanyl has cut a wide swath across our nation, affecting neighborhoods throughout New York City and people in every walk of life,” stated NYPD Police Commissioner O’Neill. “To combat this scourge, we look to not just make arrests, but to shut down the supply and, ultimately, to save lives. NYPD detectives investigate every overdose to determine how the drugs were obtained, and it was those efforts that led to today’s charges. I commend the investigators in this case, and the strong collaboration of the NYPD and our law enforcement partners, all of whom are helping stem the opioid crisis.”
As alleged in court documents, between February 2017 and the present, Wyche and O’Neil sold heroin and fentanyl on Staten Island almost daily. Wyche and Graham shared a cell phone from which they sent messages to buyers in the morning notifying them who was selling narcotics that day. In some instances, even though the buyer had sought to purchase heroin, Wyche and O’Neil sold glassine envelopes containing a mixture of heroin and fentanyl and, on occasion, only fentanyl. They regularly traveled to the Bronx to meet Graham to pick up supplies of narcotics
Wyche and O’Neil sold drugs to at least two victims who experienced overdoses shortly after purchasing the drugs, including an April 2017 sale that resulted in the death of a Staten Island resident and the near fatal overdose of a second victim in October 2017 in which medical personnel resuscitated the victim who had stopped breathing.
The arrests were the result of a series of long-term investigations by the NYPD’s Drug Overdose Task Force.
The charges in the complaint are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
If convicted, Wyche and O’Neil face a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment and Graham faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Section. Assistant United States Attorney James P. McDonald is in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendants:
KEITH WYCHE
Age: 34
Union, New Jersey
ALLEN O’NEIL
Age: 27
Somerset, New Jersey
KYRON GRAHAM
Age: 27
Bronx, New York
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 18-MJ-862
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