Drug ring unraveled with 26 arrests

Police say they have taken the wheels off of a major drug ring. Some of which was operating next to a school here in Buffalo.

28 people have been indicted in what the State Attorney General describes as a sort of cocaine pipeline from Puerto Rico to Buffalo.

>> click here to see all 28 who were arrested

>> go behind the scenes of this story with George Richert's Reporter's Notebook

"Today was a good day. The partnership is working it shows results," said Andrew Cuomo, NYS Attorney General.

By phone to his local office, State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced the indictment of 28 people in a cocaine and painkiller selling ring.

31-year-old Jeremy Hall of Amherst was considered the biggest player. Investigators say he would receive boxes of cocaine mailed from Puerto Rico to various local addresses.

Then it was allegedly sold at a few places, like this third story apartment on South Park Avenue near Marilla Street in South Buffalo, the home of 44-year-old Ronald Steves.

Or from Lorenz's Car Repair Shop right next door to Southside Elementary School. The proximity to the school puts the owner Mark Lorenz in even deeper trouble if convicted.

Jamie Sarvia, a south Buffalo resident, said, "I think it's ridiculous. I mean small children play over here. You don't want your children being around that kind of stuff."

And then there's Bebe'z, a store on Grant near Breckenridge Street where hairdresser Dennis Matos is accused of selling cocaine.

"Our city and our region is a safer place today," said Buffalo's Mayor Byron Brown.

Using mostly phone taps last spring, "Operation: Mechanics" ended in the seizure of about $30,000 in coke, $10,000 cash and 2 vehicles.

The message from the State attorney General's Organized Crime Task Force is clear, "If you think about selling drugs and distributing drugs, don't even think about it. You will get caught, you will get convicted. That's our pledge and that's the message of today," said Cuomo.

26 suspects have been arrested on felony charges since sunrise. Two are still on the loose. Those facing the most serious charges could face 8 to 20 years in prison if convicted.