New York Daily News

14 CRAP OUT IN DOPE RING RAID

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er blasted the family patriarch with a shotgun during an argument after a game in Starrett City, Brooklyn. Fly lost parts of his lungs, kidneys and stomach.

For local hoops aficionado­s, he always remained one of the alltime playground stars, right there with the late, great Earl (The Goat) Manigault.

The free-shooting Williams once scored 100 points in a game in the famed IS8 summer league in Queens — supposedly pouring in 45 during the first half for one team and 55 in the second for their opponents.

Things changed at some point for Williams, whose once-welcome presence in the neighborho­od took a terrible turn into crime.

Authoritie­s say Williams — his eyes heavy-lidded, his expression dazed in his latest mug shot — oversaw the entire heroin operation.

The drugs were purchased from suppliers in the Bronx, brought back to Brooklyn and resold either in bulk or individual­ly deals.

Fly, both his sons and co-defendants Hanziel (Johnny) Cintron and Richard (Cristiano) Rivera were all charged as major drug trafficker­s.

Each faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted. The younger James Williams was held on $250,000 bail at his arraignmen­t.

Fly was taken to a hospital for an unspecifie­d health issue on Thursday, postponing his court appearance.

“This is why this is a sad case,” said Gonzalez (left). “He’s a person who really understood the addiction, understood (what) selling narcotics could do to the community — and young people specifical­ly.” packaged for street A MULTISTATE drug ring rolled snake eyes with its dice-stamped packets of highqualit­y heroin. Authoritie­s busted 14 accused conspirato­rs and seized more than $300,000 in smack in smashing the ring that sold 80% pure heroin and fentanyl in the Bronx, New Jersey, Pennsylvan­ia, Maryland and Virginia. The year-long probe was dubbed “Operation Fire & Dice,” a reference to the logo on the ring’s glassine envelopes and the high-grade heroin — known as “fire,” officials said Thursday. The probe by the Bronx district attorney’s office, the NYPD and the Drug Enforcemen­t Administra­tion began with a street level drug buy before morphing into an internatio­nal heroin investigat­ion, officials said. The drugs were imported from Mexico and driven crosscount­ry in trucks before landing in the three-story East Bronx rowhouse of defendant Ramon Walters, 42, officials said. Walters was desperatel­y flushing drugs down the toilet when investigat­ors arrived with a search warrant.

 ??  ?? With Laura Dimon James (Fly) Williams was college basketball star and worked at a Brooklyn center (below, left) that helped steer kids away from drugs. But he wound up allegedly running heroin empire that led to his arrest Wednesday (inset, left) after...
With Laura Dimon James (Fly) Williams was college basketball star and worked at a Brooklyn center (below, left) that helped steer kids away from drugs. But he wound up allegedly running heroin empire that led to his arrest Wednesday (inset, left) after...

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