Drug Bust At Lafayette Gardens Snares 10

Law-abiding residents of Lafayette Gardens can sleep a bit easier tonight.

Prosecutors and police announced Thursday the arrest of 10 suspects accused of dealing crack cocaine, heroin and marijuana in the hallways, lobbies and stairwells of a residential complex that 2,680 residents call home.

Called "Operation Cash Gardens," the bust was the result a five-month investigation led by Brooklyn North's Narcotics Division.

According to prosecutors, undercover detectives purchased narcotics and marijuana on 20 occasions from the suspects—six of whom are allegedly part of a close-knit group specializing in the sale of crack and marijuana.

All but one of the 10 defendants, ranging in age from 20 to 57 years old, have been charged with the criminal sale of a controlled substance. Other charges include the controlled sale of marijuana and grand larceny.

Several suspects have listed addresses located within Lafayette Gardens.

Drug sales allegedly occurred at six of the housing complex's seven buildings, prosecutors said.

The following men were named in two separate indictments: Chris Carter, 21; Noah Nelson, 27; Antoine Pemberton, 26; Quandell Hendricks, 21; Stanley Williams, 20; Lenny Bovian, 21; Raymond Gressman, 50; Brian Rawlings, 38; Julien Hardy, 43; and Theodore Smith, 57.

Opened in 1962, Lafayette Gardens contains 800 apartments on more than seven acres bounded by Dekalb, Classon, Lafayette and Franklin avenues.