Gary Davis, Joel Lee Faison and Tamien Trent were arraigned late yesterday afternoon before United States District Court Judge Joseph F. Bianco at the federal courthouse in Central Islip on a 13-count indictment charging them with conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, including heroin and fentanyl, using firearms in connection with these drug trafficking crimes and related charges.  At their initial appearances on September 27, 2018, each defendant was ordered permanently detained.    

Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; William F. Sweeney, Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), New York Field Office; Angel M. Melendez, Special Agent-in-Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New York; Timothy D. Sini, District Attorney for Suffolk County; and Geraldine Hart, Commissioner, Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD), announced the charges. 

“As alleged in the indictment, these defendants sold tremendous amounts of heroin, fentanyl and fentanyl analogues throughout Long Island, flooding our streets with life-threatening drugs and enriching themselves at the expense of those suffering from addiction,” stated United States Attorney Donoghue.  “The Eastern District and our partners will continue the fight to protect our communities from those who deal heroin and other deadly drugs seeking to profit from the opioid epidemic.”  Mr. Donoghue extended his grateful appreciation to the New York National Guard Counter Drug Task Force for their assistance in the investigation.  

“We know these mixtures of fentanyl and heroin are killing people every day in our communities,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Sweeney.  “One of the subjects in this case actually bragged about how potent the drugs were that he was selling.  The FBI and the agencies we’ve partnered with on the FBI Long Island Gang Task Force work each day to stop the proliferation of these deadly drugs, and we won’t stop until we round up every dealer who looks to make money on the pain and suffering of people.”

“The charges against the defendants illustrate the law enforcement community’s shared and unwavering commitment to ridding the community of deadly drugs and bringing to justice those who distribute this poison in our communities,” stated HSI Special Agent-in-Charge Melendez. 

“What is particularly sickening about these defendants is that they used as a selling point the fact that the drugs were causing overdoses. They did so by selling fentanyl analogs – synthetic narcotics that are specifically designed by drug dealers to evade law enforcement,” stated Suffolk County District Attorney Sini.  “The message here is clear: we will not tolerate individuals peddling this poison in our communities and no matter what steps they take to evade law enforcement, we will find them. I thank our partners in the FBI, ICE, and the Suffolk County Police Department for continuing to partner with my office to target drug dealers and help end our community's opioid crisis. Most of all, I appreciate the outstanding work done by the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York and its great prosecutors.”

“Taking these three high-level suppliers off the streets will make a significant impact on the amount of drugs that are available for sale,” stated SCPD Commissioner Hart.  “These three unabashedly fed the addictions of countless individuals, ruining the lives of not only those addicted, but of their families as well. We should all be proud of the work of everyone involved in not only this case but all the detectives and investigators who dedicate their efforts to fighting the drug epidemic that’s impacting our communities.”

According to the indictment and court filings, from approximately September 2014 until their arrests on September 27, 2018, the defendants distributed in excess of 100 kilograms of heroin, fentanyl and fentanyl analogues, as well as crack cocaine across Long Island. Trent boasted to a government witness that the narcotics he was selling were rendering people unconscious and, on at least one occasion, he forwarded photographs to another person of unconscious drug customers to demonstrate the potency of the drugs.  The government’s investigation revealed that the defendants used firearms to protect their organization and distribution chain from rivals.  Search warrants executed at the time of the defendants’ arrests resulted in the recovery of a substance that field-tested positive for heroin, a handgun, two shotguns and United States currency.      

If convicted, the defendants face a maximum sentence of lifetime imprisonment.

The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Long Island Division.  Assistant United States Attorneys Christopher C. Caffarone and Mark E. Misorek, and Special Assistant United States Attorney Jacob T. Kubetz are in charge of the prosecution.

The Defendants:

GARY DAVIS (also known as “G”) 

Age: 38

Residence: Mastic Beach, New York

JOEL LEE FAISON  (also known as “Face”)

Age: 42

Residence: Mastic Beach, New York

TAMIEN TRENT (also known as “Taim”)

Age: 36

Residence: Mastic Beach, New York

EDNY Docket No. 18-CR-1221 (JFB)