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Five men have been arrested for operating a drug ring out of the Parkside Commons Apartment complex in Syracuse. The arrests followed a four-month investigation by the Syracuse Police Department and the Onondaga County District Attorney's Office. The operation was described as running like a legitimate business, with organized roles and distinct operating hours.
During a search of apartments 205 and 307, authorities recovered three pounds of cocaine, 21 grams of fentanyl, $80,000 in cash, a loaded ghost gun, walkie-talkies, and drug paraphernalia. The suspects, identified as members of the "205 Crew," face charges of enterprise corruption, a state law similar to the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). Senior Assistant District Attorney Alphonse Williams explained that the suspects disabled the apartment's security systems to facilitate their operations.
The investigation revealed that a six-year-old and a two-year-old had overdosed on drugs found in the apartments. Residents of the complex had expressed feeling unsafe due to the constant drug activity and the presence of drug paraphernalia around the building. The arrests are part of ongoing efforts to improve safety in the area. Syracuse Police Deputy Chief Rich Trudell stated, "This is not the end for our enforcement efforts at Parkside Commons to keep the residents there safe."
The suspects are also facing multiple drug possession charges, and prosecutors plan to reindict the enterprise corruption charge to include these possession charges as "pattern acts." The case marks only the second time that Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick has prosecuted a racketeering charge in over three decades. Prosecutors aim to prove a pattern of criminal activity through 19 individual sales of fentanyl or cocaine between March and May 2025.