Dozens of people were arrested for their involvement in criminal rings trafficking heroin, cocaine, oxycodone and firearms in Albany and the surrounding region, state Attorney General Letitia James announced Thursday.
James said the indictments against 47 people followed a yearlong investigation of two rival gangs and will help combat the recent surge of violent crime in this upstate city.
“These individuals have allegedly flooded our streets with dangerous narcotics and are responsible for many of the shootings that have been at the center of this devastation," James said in a prepared release.
James' joint investigation with Albany police and the FBI resulted in the seizure of almost 1.2 kilograms of cocaine and 140 grams of heroin mixed with fentanyl, along wit oxycodone, $40,000 in cash and nine firearms, according to the attorney general.
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The indictments unsealed Thursday include more than 700 counts. Charges against the 47 people include operating as a major trafficker, criminal sale and possession of a controlled substance, enterprise corruption and criminal possession of a weapon.
James said the defendants repeatedly used Facebook and Snapchat to sell and procure drugs.
