A massive drug operation spanning eight counties in New York and New Jersey resulted in the arrest of two dozen people.
The year-long investigation was led by the Monmouth County prosecutor’s office in New Jersey and ended with the seizure of $1 million worth of THC-infused candy, $1.5 million in cash, $10 million in frozen bank assets, and a bevy of luxury cars, according to NBC New York.
Among those arrested was alleged New York mobster Lee D’Avanzo, the husband of Drita D’Avanzo, who starred in the VH1 show Mob Wives from 2011 to 2016.
Lee D’Avanzo was booked on Dec. 20 after a raid of his Staten Island home. Investigators said they found a large amount of marijuana, as well as some hydrocodone and Xanax. Loaded weapons were also allegedly found in the house.
The alleged ringleader of the operation was 27-year-old Dylon Addvensky.
Monmouth prosecutor Chris Gramiccioni said that the operation would take bulk amounts of regular candy and spray it with a distillate of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.
“The common and overarching goal is to target children,” Gramiccioni said of the seizure of 300 pounds of THC candy.
In addition to the two dozen arrested, one California man is still on the run and is considered a fugitive, according to Gramiccioni.
