Suffolk D.A.: Men from Calverton and Bellport indicted for dealing ‘potent’ California-grown pot

A Calverton man prosecutors say is the principal street dealer in “a conspiracy to bring potent, high-grade strains of California-grown marijuana to Long Island for resale” is facing multiple felony charges under an indictment to be unsealed today in Suffolk County Criminal Court, according to Suffolk District Attorney Thomas Spota.

Eric Gomez, 29, was arrested June 10 along with ringleader Brian Poole, 27, of Bellport, following an investigation by the district attorney’s office, the Suffolk Police Department’s Narcotics Section and the Office of Homeland Security, according to a press release issued by Spota’s office early this morning.

Poole and Gomez were “central figures” in the conspiracy, according to the district attorney.

“During the course of this joint investigation, Poole arranged the monthly delivery of approximately 80 pounds of California marijuana to Suffolk County. His profits averaged from $500 to $800 per pound, depending on the strain of marijuana he chose to import to sell here,” Spota said in the release.

Spota said investigators confiscated hundreds of pounds of 11 different strains of California marijuana, including: “Girl Scout Cookies,” “Chem Dawg,” “OG Kush,” “Death Star,” “Jedi,” “Grand Daddy Purples,” “Hash Train,” “Jack the Ripper,” “Cheese” and “Green Crack,” along with packaging materials, heat sealers and shipping boxes.

Investigators also seized more than $200,000 in cash proceeds from pot sales and weapons, including a defaced, loaded handgun and an electronic stun gun, Spota said. Tens of thousands of dollars were stuffed inside a child’s backpack investigators found in the trunk of Gomez’s Camaro, the district attorney said.

Gomez special ordered vanity plates for his BMW that bear the letters “LIFTD” — street slang for getting high — next to the anti-drug message “Keep Kids Drug Free,” the picture selected by the defendant, Spota said.

Poole owns homes in Bellport (1522 Yarrow Circle) and Bay Shore (1442 Lombardy Boulevard) that were used as locations to prep the West Coast marijuana for sale to dealers and users in Suffolk, Spota said.

The details of the investigation will be released at a news conference following the arraignments of Poole and Gomez this morning by Suffolk County Criminal Court Judge Stephen Braslow, the district attorney said.

Both Poole and Gomez were arrested June 10, Spota said. Poole, a prior violent felony offender, is being held in the county jail in lieu of $1 million cash bail and a parole hold, according to the district attorney. Gomez was released on his own recognizance.

Gomez is facing the following charges under the indictment, according to online court records: criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree (hallucinogen with intent to sell), a class B felony; criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fourth degree (hallucinogenic substance weighing one gram or more), a class C felony; criminal possession of marihuana in the second degree (possession of more than 16 ounces), a class D felony; conspiracy in the fourth degree, a class E felony; tampering with physical evidence, a class E felony; and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree (cocaine), a class A misdemeanor.

Poole has been charged with: criminal possession of marijuana in the first degree (possession of more than 10 pounds), a class C felony; possession of a loaded firearm, a class C felony; criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree (previous conviction), a class D felony; criminal possession of marihuana in the second degree (possession of more than 16 ounces), a class D felony; and conspiracy in the fourth degree, a class E felony.
Editor’s note: A criminal charge is an accusation. By law, a person charged with a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.