“OPERATION BULLDOG”

A six-month investigation conducted by the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office in conjunction with various other law enforcement agencies culminated on November 19, 2005. The investigation resulted in the arrest of one hundred plus individuals who were involved in this large-scale cocaine distribution network that was being run from “Cerilli’s” a Moris County Restaurant.

The investigation dubbed “Operation Bulldog” involved close to 400 law enforcement officers from over 31 agencies. Most of those individuals a rrested were from Morris, Sussex, Warren and Essex counties. Included were two minor league baseball players and the daughter of a reputed mob figure.

At Cerilli's on Old Brookside Road in Randolph, diners enjoy upscale candlelit meals, indulging in such Italian delicacies as wood plank salmon with garlic and sun dried tomatoes.

The restaurant with the starched white tablecloths and elegant waiters is the same place where top Morris County drug dealers carried out wholesale deals while oblivious patrons dined inside. Most of the drugs were dealt out of the kitchen's back door and served to trusted distributors waiting in the parking lot, authorities said. Police also said some customers would pick up their drugs after eating dinner or make deals at the restaurant's bar.

Cerilli's was a base for the ring, where people seeking cocaine and other drugs would make contact with employees and place their orders. "The (restaurant's) take out business identified as part of this operation did not involve food, but rather cocaine."

The cook, Alejandro Anda-Rodriguez, 31, of Dover, ran a bustling wholesale drive-through cocaine operation out of the restaurant's kitchen, where authorities said they found cash and cocaine packaged for distribution, was charged with several counts of drug distribution and the first-degree charge of being the leader of a drug trafficking network, and could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted. Several other restaurant employees and one of its owners, Cataldo Cerilli, 46, also were arrested as part of the operation. Those charged ranged in age from 18 to 67 and face a variety of drug distribution and conspiracy charges.

Among those brought in were two former minor-league baseball players, Estenvison Ramirez and Violenny Marte, who authorities said were main distributors for the ring. Ramirez, 24, was an infielder in the Chicago White Sox organization and appeared in 29 rookie league games in 2003. Marte, also 24, was a right-hand pitcher who signed with the Houston Astros, though he only played a single minor league season. Both players hail from Azua, Dominican Republic.

Also arrested was Danielle DeMary, the daughter of alleged Luchese crime family soldier Louis "Dukie" DeMary. Authorities said DeMary was one of the ring's customers. Bails for the suspects, ranged from $7,500 to $250,000.

One suspect, 67-year-old Benito Gonzalez of Dover, also faces aggravated assault and weapons charges because he allegedly waved a 12-inch knife at Morris County Sheriff's officer Matt Ross when Ross attempted to arrest him. Ross, though, was able to subdue Gonzalez without injury to either man.

Authorities also seized large amounts of cash, drugs, several handguns and more than 100 vehicles.

Though the investigation nabbed scores of suspects, authorities said the cocaine ring featured few of the characteristics commonly associated with sophisticated drug operations. Drugs allegedly were stashed and sold at the same location and none of the cars seized suggested an extravagant lifestyle among the dealers. The ring also was not particularly violent, authorities said, and did not employ a gang-like hierarchy. Instead, authorities said it set up a trusted group of distributors who would pick up drugs at the restaurant and distribute them to second-tier dealers elsewhere in the county "who didn't know where the cocaine was coming from.”

The NJNEOA congratulates Morris County Prosecutor’s Office along with the various law enforcement agencies that participated in “Operation Bulldog” for such an outstanding job in narcotic enforcement.