Police Arrest 13 Alleged Drug Traffickers, Including Father of Reputed Bonnano Capo

By ELIZABETH SOLOMONT, Special to the Sun | January 13, 2006

Police have arrested 13 members of a reputed drug trafficking organization in the Bronx, including the father of an alleged Bonnano crime family capo, law enforcement officials said yesterday.

Police arrested Dominick Cicale Sr., 61, and five others after a 14-month investigation into the heroin and cocaine trafficking ring in the Pelham Bay section of the Bronx. Previously, seven others were arrested and several more suspects have yet to be apprehended, law enforcement officials said.

According to police, several undercover police detectives infiltrated the neighborhood-based drug ring in September 2004 and were involved in at least 55 "buys" involving heroin and cocaine. During the 14 months, the officers purchased more than 155 grams of cocaine, 90 grams of crack cocaine, more than 300 Xanax pills, and more than 3,000 glassine bags of "breakout" heroin, which sold for about $10 a bag, police said.

Yesterday at about 6:15 a.m. police executed a search warrant at the Crosby Avenue location used for most of the drug sales, police said.

According to police, the drug ring operated in the Throggs Neck and Country Club neighborhoods in the Bronx, and the investigation focused on street level heroin and cocaine dealers. "These are the people in your neighborhood that you'd like to go away," said Sergeant Eileen Doherty of the Bronx police's narcotics division, which worked with New York State Police and the Drug Enforcement Administration during the investigation.

Police did not indicate that the organization had links with organized crime, even though they named Mr. Cicale as one of the group's leaders. His son, Dominick Cicale Jr., is an alleged capo in the Bonnano organized crime family of La Cosa Nostra.

One police official described the elder Mr. Cicale - who reportedly lives with his 92-year-old mother - as the kind of heroin dealer who dips into his merchandise "more than he should." The elder Mr. Cicale had been arrested previously, most recently for drug possession, police said. Another defendant, Joseph "Joey" Borelli, served time in the 1980s for firing shots at a New York City police officer, law enforcement officials said.

According to the U.S. attorney's office, seven members of the drug operation will face federal charges, including Mr. Cicale, Mr. Borelli, Gino "G" Vizzari, Bonnie Bitsko, Joseph "Joe Monk" Filipone, Edward "Eddie" McCabe, and Jeremiah "Jerry" Smith. If convicted, they could face 20 years to life in prison. According to police, the others are likely to face state charges and some could be charged with selling narcotics near a school.