Cops hang up $1M-a-year cocaine phone-ord

[Cure20]

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<TD>BY SCOTT SHIFREL
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER


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<T></T></TABLE>A $1 million-a-year phone-order cocaine ring that used pop music terms as code words was smashed after a nine-month investigation into the southeast Queens operation, authorities said yesterday.


The operation was run out of three homes in Hollis, Springfield Gardens and Rosedale by drug dealers who used the phrases "R&B" and "hip-hop" to indicate what type of drugs they were selling, authorities said.


"Cocaine would be offered in coded language, with 'R&B' used as a reference for soft, powdered cocaine, as opposed to 'hip-hop,' which would be a reference to hard, or crack, cocaine," Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.


"Once the orders were placed, the defendants would allegedly deliver the cocaine to their customers at an agreed upon location," which included public parks or parking lots of places such as the Kentucky Fried Chicken eatery at Baisley and Merrick Blvds. in Jamaica, Brown said.


Many of the "customers" were minor cocaine dealers who resold the drugs, prosecutors allege.


Police allegedly recovered $7,000 in cash, $125,000 worth of cocaine, a .380 automatic handgun and 42 Ziploc bags containing $20 of crack cocaine each during searches conducted earlier this week.


Cops arrested alleged ringleader Shawn (Snaggs) Williams of Springfield Gardens. He was charged with first-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and other charges.


Williams, who faces up to 24 years in prison, was arraigned in Queens Criminal Court Wednesday night and ordered held without bail.


Two others, Karl (Shorts) Bryant, 26, of Hollis, and Jahmel (Mel) Holland, 24, of Rosedale, are at large.
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