Latest news with #RaymondTierney
Fox News
5 days ago
- Fox News
Guatemalan national freed without bail in THC gummies case that sent 12 middle-schoolers to the hospital
A Guatemalan national was released on his own recognizance Thursday after allegedly selling tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) gummies that caused the hospitalization of a dozen New York middle-schoolers in March. Wilmer Castillo Garcia, 22, is accused of endangering the welfare of a child after 12 students from William Floyd Middle School were brought to Peconic Bay Hospital on the same day, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney. The children became ill after eating gummies laced with THC, a compound found in cannabis that is known for causing a high or euphoric effect. The candies were traced to an Instagram account, which led investigators to Castillo Garcia, Tierney said. Castillo Garcia was also indicted on two counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree, and other related charges, after he allegedly sold cocaine and marijuana to an undercover officer on two separate occasions. He pleaded not guilty. Defense attorney Matthew Tuohy, who is representing Castillo Garcia, told Fox News Digital they are working with the district attorney's office to come up with a resolution to the case. "My client has had a very, very tough upbringing," Tuohy said. "He's basically been on his own. He has family here now that is helping him, and I'm trying to get him on the right path to resolve this the best way we can." Though Castillo Garcia is charged with a total of four felonies and two misdemeanors, Judge Anthony Senft Jr. ordered him to be released on his own recognizance, as his charges are considered non-bail-eligible under current New York state law. "This is yet another example of how New York's bail laws are broken," Tierney wrote in a statement. "We cannot even ask for reasonable security on a foreign national who allegedly provided THC gummies that sickened middle-schoolers to ensure he faces justice." Prosecutors cannot ask for bail, and judges are unable to set an amount, despite the fact that Castillo Garcia is alleged to be a foreign national with connections and the ability to flee the jurisdiction to evade prosecution, according to Tierney. When asked about his client's release, Tuohy said Castillo Garcia is not a flight risk. "He hired an attorney, he was present in court at his own volition, and he showed he's not a risk of flight," Tuohy said. "These are drug cases, not violent cases, so they're not bail-eligible. At the same time, I don't think there was an intent to harm anybody, on anybody's part. It's an unfortunate situation, and we're going to do the best we can to resolve it in the best possible way." Castillo Garcia is due back in court Sept. 2 and faces up to nine years in prison if convicted of the top count.
New York Post
7 days ago
- New York Post
Long Island drug dealer and girlfriend subjected puppies to horrific conditions as he peddled fentanyl: DA
A drug dealer and his girlfriend kept four puppies in stomach-turning conditions as he allegedly peddled loads of fentanyl from his Long Island home, prosecutors said Tuesday. Troy Daniels, 44, was nabbed after selling more than two ounces of fentanyl – enough to kill 28,000 people – to an undercover investigator between May and July, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office. The DA's East End Drug Task Force ultimately raided the alleged dealer's Middle Island drug den on July 18 — and discovered the poor American Bully pups holed up in a feces-filled crate. Advertisement Three of the dogs were shoved in one crate without food or water as they laid in their own feces and urine, while the fourth sickly puppy was suffering from severely infected and inflamed ears, prosecutors said. A photo of the three dogs kept in the crate. Suffolk County District Attorney's Office All the dogs were pulled from the home and taken to a veterinarian for treatment. Advertisement Officers recovered more than a half-ounce of fentanyl, a half-ounce of fentanyl mixed with heroin and more than an eighth-ounce of fentanyl meshed with cocaine inside the apartment, according to prosecutors. Other drug paraphernalia and a shotgun were also seized from the apartment, the DA's office said. Prosecutors said Daniels had met with the undercover agents on several occasions outside in the parking lot of his apartment complex. Daniels and his 31-year-old girlfriend, Toni Gerwycki, were both indicted on a count each of overdriving, torturing and injuring animals and three counts each of failure to provide proper food and drink to impounded dogs earlier this month, prosecutors said. Advertisement Daniels is also facing a flood of felony drug charges, including four counts of first-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, 13 counts of fourth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and a count of fourth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. 'Each illicit transaction of fentanyl has lethal potential,' District Attorney Raymond Tierney said in a statement. Suffolk DA Raymond Tierney decried the drug accusations. James Messerschmidt 'Dealers must face consequences commensurate with the threat that their actions pose to our community.' Advertisement Gerwycki's lawyer, Ian Fitzgerald, told The Post his client was not responsible for the dogs, and insisted the puppies were all well taken care of, claiming they were only placed in the cage when law enforcement entered the home. He said his client disputed that she and Daniels were a couple, and claimed she just happened to be in the apartment when cops burst in. 'They weren't her dogs, she doesn't live in that house, they weren't her animals to care for, she never abused any animals, she never neglected any animals, she was going to purchase one of the puppies who had ample food and ample water and weren't being starved or not giving any water,' Fitzgerald said. The charges against Gerwycki aren't eligible for bail and she was cut loose pending trial. She faces a maximum year sentence if convicted on top count. Daniels was being held behind bars on $500,000 cash bail. He faces up to 20 years if convicted of the top count. His lawyer, John LoTurco, said Daniels deserves the presumption of innocence. 'We appreciate the serious allegations contained within the indictment,' he said in a statement. 'Accordingly, our law firm will carefully scrutinize the evidence to evaluate our next steps in defending our client.'
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Yahoo
Human remains discovered on Long Island after suspected MS-13 gangbanger tipped off authorities: sources
Human remains were discovered in a wooded Long Island preserve Wednesday — after a suspected MS-13 gangbanger tipped off the authorities, according to law enforcement sources. FBI agents and Nassau County police officers converged on Underhill Preserve in Jericho after a suspected member of the brutal gang, who was already in custody, tipped them off to the dead body, sources said. The victim's identity and cause of death were not immediately known. Nassau police officials referred The Post to the FBI for comment. A bureau spokesperson said the agency was conducting 'investigative activity' at the preserve, which is near Jericho High School. Photos captured at the scene show law enforcement carrying equipment, as well as a large paper bag, out of the woods. The scourge of MS-13 has been a longstanding problem on Long Island – an issue addressed by neighboring Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney Wednesday night. 'They're going into the schools, and they're recruiting the kids,' the GOP prosecutor said on NewsNation. 'They will try to recruit young gang members, and they will start to try to enforce those rules that we spoke about, you know, at the earliest opportunity. And, unfortunately, what we see with the MS-13, really the drivers of violence in the gang are their youngest members.' He told fill-in host Laura Ingle on 'Elizabeth Vargas Reports' that children as young as 12 or 13 are recruited by the bloodthirsty gang. Attorney General Pam Bondi touted the arrest of an alleged MS-13 kingpin in Virginia last month, with the feds claiming he was drawn to the gang in middle school. The Department of Justice, however, moved to drop its case against Henrry Josue Villatoro Santos, a 24-year-old illegal migrant from El Salvador, in a court filing Wednesday, the Washington Post reported. The one-page filing offered no explanation for the reversal, the outlet noted. Tierney, in his NewsNation interview, said MS-13 is brazen in the crimes they commit. 'The MS-13 is probably the most unique gang in that their purpose is to be the biggest, baddest gang in the world. With the MS-13, the violence is because they want to be known as the biggest gang, most violent gang,' he said.
