Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal announced that the Attorney General’s Office has obtained three indictments charging 15 alleged leaders and members of three separate cocaine trafficking networks that operated in the City of Plainfield.
The Division of Criminal Justice Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau obtained three state grand jury indictments on Friday, March 16, charging members of three drug trafficking rings allegedly headed by Andres Hernandez-Diaz, 46, Julian Mirambeaux, 47, and Manuel Castillo-Concepcion, 38, all of Plainfield, N.J. The 15 defendants are variously charged with second-degree conspiracy; first-, second- or third-degree drug offenses; and third-degree money laundering.
It is alleged that the network run by Hernandez-Diaz later was run by Luis Andino, 44, of Bronx, N.Y., after Hernandez-Diaz fled to the Dominican Republic.
All three drug rings allegedly distributed large amounts of cocaine, and the two rings headed by Mirambeaux and Castillo-Concepcion also allegedly distributed heroin.
The indictment is the result of an eight-month cooperative investigation called “Operation Snow Bank,” led by the New Jersey State Police Trafficking Central Unit, Plainfield Police Division, ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice, with assistance from the FBI Newark Office, Union County Prosecutor’s Office, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, FBI Somerset Office, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, New Brunswick Police Department, Perth Amboy Police Department, HSI Virginia Office, Stafford County, Va., Sheriff’s Office, and the New York City Police Department.
The investigation culminated in arrests in July 2017. At that time, the investigating agencies also executed search warrants at residences in Plainfield and North Plainfield where the defendants lived and, in some cases, allegedly cut and packaged their drugs for distribution. During the operation, investigators seized over 1.5 kilograms of cocaine, over two ounces of heroin, and over $35,000 cash.
“Two of my top priorities as Attorney General are tackling drug addiction and reducing violent crime, and by dismantling not one, but three drug trafficking rings, we kept large supplies of addictive narcotics from reaching the streets of Plainfield and likely reduced the gun violence sparked by street-level dealing,” said Attorney General Grewal. “This is a great example of law enforcement agencies collaborating to marshal the resources needed for a far-reaching investigation.”
The indictment against the ring headed by Andres Hernandez-Diaz charges the following defendants:
1. Andres Hernandez-Diaz, 46, of Plainfield, N.J.
2. Luis Andino, 44, of Bronx, N.Y.
3. Domingo Berito, 58, of Plainfield, N.J.
4. Rodolfo Cardona, 58, of Highland Park, N.J.
5. Esperanza Garcia, 42, of Bronx, N.Y.
6. Edwin Lambur, 39, Orange, N.J.
The indictment against the ring headed by Julian Mirambeaux charges the following defendants:
1. Julian Mirambeaux, 47, of Plainfield, N.J.
2. Elizabeth Concepcion-Flores, 38, of Plainfield, N.J. (wife of Julian Mirambeaux).
3. Santander Gonzalez, 60, of Plainfield, N.J.
4. Charlie Lopez-Rodriguez, 26, of Plainfield, N.J.
5. Raylimi Mirambeaux, 19, of Plainfield, N.J. (daughter of Julian Mirambeaux).
The indictment against the ring headed by Manuel Castillo-Concepcion charges the following defendants:
1. Manuel Castillo-Concepcion, 38, of Plainfield, N.J.
2. Bernardo Castillo-Concepcion, 51, of Plainfield, N.J. (brother of Manuel Castillo-Concepcion).
3. Mauro Collao-Villegas, 41, of Plainfield, N.J.
4. Elvin Maisonet, 45, of Paterson, N.J
First-degree drug charges carry a sentence of 10 to 20 years in state prison and a fine of up to $500,000. Second-degree charges carry a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison and a fine of up to $150,000. Third-degree charges carry a sentence of three to five years in state prison.
The third-degree drug charges carry maximum fines of $35,000 or $75,000, while the third-degree money laundering charges carry a fine of up to $500,000.
The indictments are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.