Feds: Luxury couriers moved 22 tons of cocaine, $100M between LA and NYC

Federal prosecutors say a sophisticated drug trafficking ring shipped 22 tons of cocaine and more than $100 million in cash between Los Angeles and New York, using luxury freight companies to disguise the operation. Five additional suspects were arrested Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.

Authorities allege ringleaders David Rodriguez (45), aka “Gotti” and “Fat Boy,” of Dumont, N.J., and Raymond O’Connell (39), aka “Sal” and “White Boy,” of Manhattan—in custody since 2024—ran the operation from an office posing as a jewelry shop inside downtown L.A.’s California Jewelry Mart.

Cocaine and cash hidden in “luxury shipments”

Prosecutors say cocaine was shipped in locked plastic cases via high-value freight forwarders that typically handle jewelry, metals, and fine art. Parcels were routed through New York’s Diamond District, where drugs were redistributed on the East Coast. Proceeds were then funneled back to Los Angeles and laundered.

In total, investigators tracked over 800 cocaine shipments from LA to NYC—worth an estimated $315 million—and more than 500 cash parcels sent back west, worth $105 million.

“During the probe, agents seized $2.8 million in drug money, nearly 1,600 pounds of cocaine, plus high-end cars and jewelry,” DOJ officials said.

Arrests and charges

Those arrested Tuesday include:

Jamel Donald Levy (52), Brooklyn
Bruce Adams (50), Bronx
Cindy Rachel Imbert (33), Englewood, N.J.
Nohely Jimenez (30), downtown L.A.
Lorna “Cookie” Martinez (42), downtown L.A.

East Coast defendants appeared in Manhattan federal court Tuesday, while the two L.A. suspects are set for a Wednesday hearing. Prosecutors have not yet announced specific charges for these five.

Meanwhile, Rodriguez and O’Connell face charges of:

Running a continuing criminal enterprise
Conspiracy to distribute and possess cocaine
Four counts of cocaine distribution
Conspiracy to launder money and money laundering

If convicted, both face mandatory life sentences. Cocaine-related charges carry at least 10 years in prison, with a maximum of life; money laundering counts carry up to 20 years.