Four individuals were arrested following a wiretap investigation into a narcotics distribution conspiracy that allegedly funneled fentanyl, crack cocaine, cocaine, and counterfeit pills from Upper Manhattan to Staten Island. Accused ringleader Shanta SAWYER is charged with conspiring with his wife Sophia ABINACER, Michael GIORDANO, and Philip PIETRUNTI, to supply illegal narcotic drugs to dozens of customers on Staten Island.
Arrests occurred early in the morning on Thursday, November 5, 2026, following court-authorized searches of three residences: one in Washington Heights, Manhattan, and two on Staten Island, in Great Kills and Eltingville. In addition to recovering large quantities of narcotics, law enforcement officers seized an alleged pill pressing machine from SAWYER and ABINACER’s Washington Heights apartment. At least 13 unlicensed firearms, including AR-style rifles, were seized at the Eltingville home of PIETRUNTI, a former New York City Police Department officer. PIETRUNTI was arrested inside the residence and is charged with illegally possessing firearms.
Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget G. Brennan, Richmond County District Attorney Michael E. McMahon, and New York City Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch announce the arrests following arraignments in Manhattan Criminal Court, which occurred on Friday, November 6, 2026. A criminal complaint filed by the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor (SNP) contains charges of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the First and Third Degrees, Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the First Degree, and Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree.
The investigation was conducted by the New York City Police Department’s (NYPD) Narcotics Bureau Staten Island, with assistance from the NYPD’s Manhattan North Narcotics and SNP’s Investigators Unit. Special Narcotics prosecutors collaborated on the investigation with the Richmond County District Attorney’s Office.
Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget G. Brennan said, “This operation shut down a dangerous drug pipeline spanning from Upper Manhattan to Staten Island. The arrests are a result of the relentless investigative work of our Assistant District Attorneys, Special Narcotics investigators, and the NYPD’s narcotics teams in Staten Island and Manhattan. Tracking this network for months, the investigative team did not settle for arresting only street level dealers. Removing deadly narcotics, the equipment used to produce it, and more than a dozen illegal firearms makes our communities safer today. I want to thank the Staten Island District Attorney Michael E. McMahon and his staff for their partnership in bringing this organization down.”
Richmond County District Attorney Michael E. McMahon said, “The defendants involved in this takedown are alleged to have participated in a multi-borough criminal conspiracy that sought to flood our borough with dangerous narcotics, including large quantities of fentanyl, heroin and oxycodone. One of the defendants, Philip Pietrunti, a Staten Islander and retired NYPD Emergency Service Unit member, is accused of amassing a small army’s worth of illegal firearms, jeopardizing our borough’s public safety and betraying his oath to protect the community he once served. Thanks to the dedicated efforts of New York City Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget Brennan, and the incredible men and women of the NYPD and my office, this dangerous drug-dealing syndicate has been dismantled and brought to justice. Illegal guns and death-dealing drugs have no place in our borough, and we commend SNP and our fellow law enforcement partners for their continued commitment to keeping Staten Island the safest community of its size in the country.”
“This six-month investigation is a reminder of the NYPD’s relentless efforts to get guns and drugs off our streets,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch. “These defendants flooded Upper Manhattan and Staten Island with dangerous drugs, but thanks to the tireless work of NYPD investigators, this trafficking network has been shut down for good. We appreciate the Special Narcotics Prosecutor’s Office and the Richmond County District Attorney’s Office partnership in making our communities safer.”
The six-month wiretap investigation allegedly revealed that SAWYER traveled from Washington Heights to Staten Island multiple days per week to make deliveries of narcotics. He was assisted in this operation by GIORDANO, who allegedly maintained a stash of drugs in his residence, as well as ABINACER, who also conducted alleged sales on behalf of SAWYER. PIETRUNTI, the former NYPD officer, is accused of participating in the conspiracy by buying narcotics from SAWYER’s organization for resale.
At approximately 6 a.m. on Thursday, NYPD officers with Narcotics Bureau Staten Island and Manhattan North Narcotics, as well as investigators with SNP’s Investigators Unit, conducted court-authorized searches of the Washington Heights residence occupied by SAWYER and ABINACER, and the Staten Island homes of GIORDANO and PIETRUNTI, located in Great Kills and Eltingville respectively. At SAWYER’s and ABINACER’s residence, 712 West 180th Street, Apt. 34, Washington Heights, officers recovered large quantities of alleged fentanyl, crack-cocaine, and heroin from inside a backpack in the kitchen and from a safe located in the closet of a bedroom where SAWYER was apprehended. A pill pressing machine was also found in the same bedroom on the floor next to the bed. Two young children were present in the apartment when officers arrived to conduct the search.
During a court-authorized search of GIORDANO’s residence at 330A Miles Avenue in Great Kills, Staten Island, officers allegedly recovered a small lockbox containing a quantity of crack-cocaine and approximately 40 glassine envelopes containing heroin from inside a bedroom. Additional quantities of cocaine were found in the bedroom, along with two scales and drug packaging materials. NYPD laboratory analysis on the substances recovered during the court-authorized searches are pending.
At PIETRUNTI’s residence at 103 Oakdale Street, Eltingville, Staten Island, officers recovered at least 13 unlicensed firearms, including 12 from inside a safe in a bedroom and one from a shelf next to the safe. Also in the home, officers recovered ammunition for each of the 13 firearms, which included AR-style rifles. Additional firearms were recovered from the residence, and the investigation is continuing into the status and ownership of these weapons.
As detailed in the criminal complaint, prior to the court-authorized searches, the NYPD and SNP conducted a wiretap investigation from May 13, 2026 through October 2026. During intercepted phone conversations, the defendants could be heard allegedly discussing numerous sales, using coded language to describe various types of drugs and pricing. Several recorded conversations about narcotics sales are described in the criminal court complaint.
On May 18, 2026, SAYWER allegedly had a conversation with PIETRUNTI about selling cocaine to him for resale, saying, “You can’t wait until you get off from work?” PIETRUNTI allegedly replied, “No because I’m selling to someone at work.” The two men allegedly used coded language in planning the sale, referring to cocaine as a “ball.”
On August 25, 2026, SAWYER and PIETRUNTI allegedly discussed meeting at a Wendy’s restaurant to conduct a sale of cocaine and “Xannies,” a reference to Xanax pills. The complaint alleges that SAWYER informed PIETRUNTI the pills were counterfeits, saying, “I don’t know what’s in it.” Following this conversation, NYPD officers observed the two men meet briefly at the Wendy’s location at approximately 6:40 p.m.
On October 2, 2026, the investigation intercepted calls between SAWYER and another buyer as they allegedly planned to conduct a narcotics transaction the following day. They used terms such as “dog food,” “G’s,” “Hard,” “Candy,” and “Pebbles” to refer to heroin, crack-cocaine, and fentanyl. SAWYER allegedly informed a customer that he would send his wife to sell the narcotics. On October 3, 2026, NYPD surveilled a woman believed to be ABINACER as she arrived in a black BMW X7 on Sperry Place, Huguenot, Staten Island, to meet with the customer. The complaint alleges that ABINACER was observed returning to the Manhattan residence she shared with SAWYER at 712 West 180th Street.
The complaint also describes a series of calls on October 7, 2026 in which SAWYER and GIORDANO plan to sell cocaine and fentanyl to another customer, using GIORDANO’s residence at 330A Miles Avenue, Great Kills, as the meeting place. NYPD officers later observed the customer pulling up in front of GIORDANO’s residence in a vehicle, at which time GIORDANO came out of 330A Miles Avenue and leaned into the vehicle. After the customer departed, officers saw SAWYER leaving 330A Miles Avenue.
On October 28, 2026, GIORDANO allegedly had a phone conversation with the customer from the previously described sale on October 7, 2026, during which they discussed GIORDANO storing narcotics for SAWYER.
Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget Brennan thanked Richmond County District Attorney Michael E. McMahon and NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch, and commended SNP’s Special Investigations Bureau and Investigators Unit, and the New York City Police Department’s Narcotics Bureau Staten Island and Manhattan North Narcotics for their work on the investigation.
The charges and allegations are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
| Defendants | Charges | |
| Shanta SawyerNew York, NYAge: 44 | CPCS 1st – 1 ctCPCS 3rd – 1 ctConspiracy 4th – 1 ct | |
| Sophia AbinacerNew York, NyAge: 37 | CPCS 1st – 1 ctCPCS 3rd – 1 ctConspiracy 4th – 1 ct | |
| Michael GiordanoStaten Island, NYAge: 35 | CPCS 3rd – 1 ctConspiracy 4th – 1 ct | |
| Philip PietruntiStaten Island, NYAge: 60 | Criminal Possession of a Weapon 1st – 1 ctConspiracy 4th – 1 ct |