Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor, New York City Police Department, and Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office Announce
A long-term investigation focused on narcotics and gun trafficking in the Weeksville neighborhood of Crown Heights, Brooklyn, led to seven arrests and dismantled a loosely connected drug distribution network that allegedly dominated the area. Four criminal complaints were filed by the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor (SNP) following the investigation by the New York City Police Department’s (NYPD) Narcotics Borough Brooklyn North. Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez reviewed and signed multiple eavesdropping applications for court authorization.
Dwayne SEALES, the alleged central figure of the organization, is charged with selling 20 guns and more than a pound of narcotics, including crack-cocaine, fentanyl and fentanyl mixtures, to an undercover NYPD officer. An additional gun was recovered during a court authorized search at the time of the arrests.
Bridget G. Brennan, New York City’s Special Narcotics Prosecutor, NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch, and Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced the arrests following arraignments in Manhattan Criminal Court yesterday.
Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget G. Brennan said, “I hope these arrests bring relief to this community. The conduct alleged includes multiple gun sales and exchanges of narcotics in neighborhood stores and restaurants. Dwayne Seales and his associates are charged with putting public safety at risk with multiple sales of narcotics and firearms that began more than a year ago and concluded with seven arrests announced today. My office is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to make all of our neighborhoods safe.”
NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch said, “The individuals arrested were driven by greed and a willingness to flood Crown Heights with crack cocaine and guns. Now, their reign of terror is coming to an end. This takedown demonstrates precision policing at its best: targeting the small number of people driving violence, dealing drugs, and trafficking guns – and bringing them to justice. I want to thank Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez and the Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget Brennan for their partnership, along with our Brooklyn North Narcotics detectives, who led this investigation from start to finish.”
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said, “I congratulate the SNP and NYPD for this successful takedown and thank them for helping to make the Crown Heights community safer today. As we enter the last quarter of the year, Brooklyn is on track to record the fewest number of homicides in modern history while shootings are down double-digits from last year’s record-breaking numbers. That is a testament to the strong cooperations between law enforcement partners and my office, and the comprehensive approach we are taking to reduce gun violence and crime. I am committed to continue working together to make our borough even safer.”
Beginning in the early morning of Wednesday, October 1, 2025, police arrested the seven individuals and conducted a series of court-authorized searches, which resulted in the seizure of a firearm and quantities of alleged crack cocaine, heroin and oxycodone pills.
The arrests capped a yearlong NYPD investigation, launched in October of 2024, based on information about rampant drug selling in the vicinity of Sterling Place and Schenectady Avenue. Investigative techniques used included undercover purchases of narcotics and guns, physical and electronic surveillance, and a court-authorized wiretap initiated in May 2025.
Criminal complaints allege that SEALES oversaw a street-level network of narcotics sellers, including defendant Ismail ABRAHAM, and was supplied narcotics by defendant Kevin THOMAS. The operation sold narcotics in a round-the-clock operation.
SEALES is charged with a total of 19 sales of narcotics to an undercover officer between October 18, 2024 and September 5, 2025. During the first six sales, which occurred inside local businesses, including a smoke shop, a bodega, and a Chinese restaurant, SEALES allegedly provided quantities of crack cocaine to the undercover officer.
Beginning in January 2025, SEALES allegedly offered to sell guns to the undercover officer. On January 29, 2025, SEALES directed the undercover to meet on a residential block of Sterling Place and sold two semiautomatic pistols, in addition to a quantity of crack cocaine.
Over the next four months, SEALES allegedly sold guns to the undercover on eight more occasions at meet ups with the undercover on Sterling Place. The investigation revealed that SEALES, with assistance from others, maintained a consistent presence and close watch over this area, posing challenges for law enforcement seeking to conduct surveillance. In total, SEALES allegedly sold 20 guns, some with ammunition.
NYPD Laboratory analysis confirmed all 20 firearms sold, ranging from revolvers to rifles, were operable. Of these,11 featured large capacity ammunition feeding devices/high-capacity magazines, including six semi or fully automatic rifles. A Taurus G2C semiautomatic pistol that was sold on January 29, 2025, had been defaced, and a Colt-AR-15 rifle sold on March 25, 2025, had been modified to make it capable of being fully automatic.
SEALES allegedly continued to sell narcotics to the undercover officer throughout the course of the investigation. Most narcotics sales involved crack cocaine. However, in July and August of 2025, SEALES also allegedly sold glassine envelopes purported to contain heroin. The packets in fact included mixtures of fentanyl, cocaine, and tramadol, and other synthetic substances, such as xylazine, medetomidine, and BTMPS, according to NYPD Laboratory analysis. Sales of guns and narcotics to the undercover officer totaled more than $35,000.
Akeel BAPTISTE, who allegedly worked for SEALES, is charged with participating in the sale of two firearms to the undercover officer on May 13, 2025. Tyrone STEWART allegedly maintained possession of a gun for SEALES and is charged in the sale of that firearm to the undercover officer on May 15, 2025.
Sarahann HINDS and Medanie WILSON were arrested in conjunction with court-authorized searches of residences associated with the organization.
Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget G. Brennan thanked Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez and his office for their assistance and commended her office’s Trial Division and the NYPD’s Narcotics Borough Brooklyn North for their work on the investigation.
The charges and allegations are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
