Cocaine accused expelled from home builders’ association
A prominent l ocal businessman, arrested Friday in a record-breaking cocaine investigation, has been booted from the Niagara Home Builders’ Association.
Brothers Frank Anthony Alessio and Angelo Alessio, both of Niagara Falls, each face a drug charge following a $ 30- million Niagara Regional Police bust Friday — enough to put cocaine in the hands of nearly every resident in the region.
Niagara Home Builders’ Association president John Wyte said Frank Alessio, 32, was removed as a member of the board of directors Monday.
“It’s very shocking to all of us,” Wyte said.
Frank Alessio lists himself as president of Artwood Flooring on the company’s website. It is headquartered on Eastchester Ave. E. in St. Catharines. He was a member of the board of directors of the home builders’ association for three years. During that time, he also sat on a committee that helped Habitat for Humanity build a home in Welland.
Angelo Alessio works at Artwood as an installer.
Employees of the flooring business were shocked to hear about the charges, which stem from a raid at 10 Davidson St., Unit 3, in St. Catharines early Friday morning.
“We have nothing to do with that property,” said an employee who didn’t wish to be identified.
The Alessio brothers are charged with cocaine possession for the purpose of trafficking. They are scheduled to have bail hearings Feb. 23 in St. Catharines court.
Staff Sgt. Joseph Maggiolo of the NRP intelligence unit said the haul — 110 kilograms — is the biggest in Niagara’s history.
“The cache of cocaine that we seized here, that’s a lot of dope,” he said.
“What we have here is the pure product.”
Drug dealers often extend their supply by cutting their drugs with other substances. If that was done with the cocaine seized, Maggiolo said, the 110 kilos could become 330 kilos. That’s enough to put a gram of cocaine into the hands of 310,000 Niagara residents. Some of the drugs could also be turned into cheaper crack cocaine, he said.
Maggiolo said two men had access to the property, although they were not operating a business there.
“They had an opportunity to use that facility,” he said. “The unit is where we made the seizure.”
Maggiolo wouldn’t say why the police probe was launched but s aid Crime Stoppers often plays a role in police investigations.
He said the size of the haul is typical of what would be found at a border or port.
“This seizure … for an inland seizure, is just enormous,” he said.
He said where the cocaine originated f rom is under investigation.
“This is right from the source country,” he said.
It’s likely much of the cocaine was destined for elsewhere in the province, such as the Golden Horseshoe and Toronto, Maggiolo said.
He credited the officers with getting a significant amount of drugs off the streets.
“They are very hard working, dedicated people,” he said. “They are trying to attack a major drug problem. By doing this, we are definitely going to save some lives.”
Maggiolo said police searched the Davidson St. unit, Artwood Flooring and three residences in Niagara Falls.
The father of the two accused, who was contacted at the Casey St. home listed as Angelo Alessio’s residence, didn’t wish to comment on the case.
A neighbour of Frank Alessio on Kelly Dr. in Niagara Falls said he l ived with his girlfriend and the pair kept to themselves.
Tenants at t he Davidson St. building were surprised to learn the unit was being used at all.
Doug Green, of Loomis Express, said he didn’t notice any activity at the unit until 3 a.m. Friday when police raided the place.
“There was a whole slew of cops here,” he said.
Const. Paul Day confirmed part of the Davidson St. property was at one time used by the NRP for storage. It was vacated by police in 2003, he said.