Lance Holmes, aka DJ Love Dinero, allegedly received kilograms of cocaine and fentanyl in mail from California; Mail carrier Adrianna Lewis allegedly facilitated deliveries on her postal route in Hempstead
MINEOLA, N.Y. – Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly announced that a Queens man who works as a disc jockey for Sirius XM and a postal carrier from Rockville Centre have been indicted for their roles in a narcotic trafficking scheme that stretched from California to Hempstead.
Lance Holmes, also known as DJ Love Dinero, 40, from Hollis, Queens, was arraigned before Judge Tammy Robbins yesterday on grand jury indictment charges of Operating as Major Trafficker (an A-I felony), two counts of Attempted Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree (an A-I felony), Conspiracy in the Second Degree (a B felony) and Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree (an E felony). Bail was set at $500,000 bond, $250,000 cash or $2.5 million partially secured bond at 10%. The defendant pleaded not guilty and is due back in court on August 18. If convicted of the top charge he faces a potential maximum of 25 years to life in prison.
Adrianna Lewis, 31, from Rockville Centre, was arraigned before Judge Robbins yesterday on charges of two counts of Attempted Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree (an A-I felony), Conspiracy in the Second Degree (a B felony), Criminal Facilitation in the Second Degree (C felony), Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree (an E felony) and Criminal Facilitation in the Fourth Degree (A misdemeanor). Bail was set at $100,000 bond, $50,000 cash or $500,000 partially secured bond at 10%. The defendant pleaded not guilty and is due back in court on August 18. If convicted of the top charge she faces a potential maximum of 20 years in prison.
“Lance Holmes and mail carrier Adrianna Lewis allegedly rendezvoused at multiple locations along her postal route to transfer kilograms of narcotics,” DA Donnelly said. “Holmes is also alleged to have used addresses in Queens, Suffolk and Manhattan to receive drug shipments. His alleged conduct is so brazen that he called a post office in June to inquire about the whereabouts of his package after four kilograms of cocaine allegedly destined for him were seized in this investigation. Dismantling the narcotics trade is difficult and dangerous work, and I thank our numerous partners for helping end the flood of illegal drugs into our county.”
Nassau County Commissioner of Police Patrick Ryder said, “This multiagency investigation which crossed county lines has added two more arrests for intercepting and delivering illegal narcotics within our communities. Nassau County will continue its zero tolerance approach and will never allow drug dealers to infect our neighborhoods where our families are raising their children. The arrests of defendants Lewis and Holmes sends a clear and concise message to these dealers that we will continue our fight to eradicate illegal drug trafficking. I would like to congratulate all of the assisting agencies and their investigators on a job well done.”
USPIS Inspector-in-Charge of the New York Division Daniel B. Brubaker said: “The defendants allegedly used the mail to traffic in the illegal narcotics cocaine and fentanyl. While Holmes enjoyed celebrity as a DJ, he tried to use the anonymity of the mail to traffic in these dangerous substances. Lewis, a letter carrier, violated the public trust of her position by facilitating this scheme. What else did they have in common? They both underestimated the tenacity of Postal Inspectors in the fight to keep deadly drugs off the streets. We will use every resource available to us to investigate and prosecute anyone who uses the mail for the illegal drug trade.”
“When drug trafficking organizations use the U.S. Postal Service along with a Postal Service employee to further the distribution of narcotics, the Special Agents of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General will diligently work with our law enforcement partners to disrupt their criminal enterprise. This does not represent the work of the many trustworthy U.S. Postal Service employees who continue to do their job every day,” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew Modafferi, of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General Northeast Area Field Office. “The U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General would like to thank our law enforcement partners and the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office for their dedication and efforts to combat the shipment of illegal narcotics through the U.S. Mail”.
FBI New York Assistant Director-in-Charge Michael J. Driscoll said, “Holmes allegedly used an insider at the postal service to deliver illegal drugs, and then profit from those drugs, which are killing people in our communities. This investigation demonstrates regardless of your status or notoriety, you are not above the law and you will face justice for breaking it. I would like to thank the outstanding work of our Long Island Gang Task Force, and our law enforcement partners, who prove day in day out their dedicated to protecting those they serve.”
DA Donnelly said that in March 2021 members of the FBI Long Island Gang Task Force and the ATF Long Island Firearms Task Force executed numerous arrest and search warrants related to “Operation Honeycomb.” Forty defendant were indicted for allegedly selling narcotics in the Hempstead area, including nine charged as major traffickers.
As a result of the investigation, investigators determined that kilograms of cocaine and fentanyl originating in Southern California were being sent through the United States Postal Service to addresses in New York. The packages bound for Nassau County were sent to addresses along the route of Lewis, a letter carrier for the USPS in Hempstead.
Lewis and Holmes rendezvoused in various places along the route to allegedly transfer the narcotics and the postal worker was allegedly paid $500 for every successful delivery.
The packages – all with same weights – were shipped via priority mail, in medium flat rate postal boxes, and originated from shipping stores in California.
The people at the Hempstead addresses were not involved in this alleged trafficking scheme.
Several packages destined for Hempstead and surrounding areas were intercepted from the mail-stream and K9 units from the Nassau County Police Department and New York State Police conducted sniff tests with the dogs returning positive alerts for narcotics.
On June 7, 2022, Holmes allegedly contacted the postal office to inquire about a parcel that was destined for a Manhattan address. The package containing two kilograms of cocaine was intercepted prior to him receiving it.
In total, ten kilograms of cocaine and one kilogram of fentanyl were seized during this investigation.
The NCDA thanks our partner organizations in the FBI Long Island Gang Task Force, United States Postal Inspection Service, the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General, Nassau County Police Department, New York State Police, Rockville Centre Police Department, New York Police Department and the ATF Long Island Firearms Task Forc
This case is being prosecuted by Lee Genser, chief of the Firearm Suppression and Intelligence Unit. Holmes is represented by Gregory Madey, Esq. and Lewis is represented by William Kephart, Esq.
The charges are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless found guilty.
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