The U.S. Department of Justice announced on September 16 the arrest of five defendants tied to a sprawling drug trafficking operation that moved over 22 tons of cocaine and more than $100 million in cash between Los Angeles and New York using private air carriers.
Three of the defendants—Jamel Donald Levy, 52, of Brooklyn, Bruce Adams, 50, of the Bronx, and Cindy Rachel Imbert, 33, of Englewood, New Jersey—are set to appear in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Meanwhile, two others, Nohely Jimenez-Ruiz, 30, and Lorna Martinez, 42, also known as “Cookie,” both from downtown Los Angeles, will be arraigned in Los Angeles federal court.
The alleged ringleaders, David Rodriguez, 45, of New Jersey, and Raymond O’Connell, 39, of New York, have been in custody since last year. They face charges of operating a criminal enterprise, cocaine trafficking, and money laundering. According to court documents, Rodriguez and O’Connell orchestrated cocaine purchases in Los Angeles for distribution along the East Coast.
Operating from a sham jewelry store in downtown Los Angeles, the group shipped cocaine in locked cases to New York’s Diamond District using freight forwarders that typically handle jewelry, precious metals, and art. Once in New York, the cocaine was redistributed while proceeds were sent back to Los Angeles, where they were laundered and cycled back into the organization.
Investigators uncovered over 1,300 parcels shipped between Los Angeles and New York, with more than 800 containing over 22 tons of cocaine—valued at roughly $315 million wholesale in Los Angeles. Approximately 500 shipments returned more than $105 million in cash to the West Coast.
Authorities also seized $2.8 million in cash, 725 kilograms of cocaine, luxury vehicles, and jewelry purchased with drug proceeds.
Two defendants, Daniel Vega, 52, known as “Nice,” and Gregory Antonio Benitez, 40, aka “G.,” remain at large.
If convicted, ringleaders Rodriguez and O’Connell face mandatory life sentences. Cocaine trafficking charges carry penalties ranging from 10 years to life in prison, while money laundering offenses can result in up to 20 years behind bars.
