Anthony ‘Ant’ Pineda, Methamphetamine Distribution, New York 2024

Anthony ‘Ant’ Pineda, a Queens-based methamphetamine kingpin, was arrested yesterday in connection with a large-scale distribution operation that spanned both New York and California. Pineda, 45, was arraigned before United States Magistrate Judge Cheryl L. Pollak and ordered detained pending trial.

According to reports, Pineda used his illegal gambling parlors in Flushing, Queens as a front to distribute large quantities of methamphetamine, obtained from California and transported to New York for wholesale and retail distribution. His co-defendants, including large-scale and street-level methamphetamine distributors, as well as partners in the illegal gambling operation, were also arrested and charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Law enforcement officers recovered one pound of methamphetamine and approximately $27,000 in cash from Pineda’s apartment at the time of his arrest. The indictment also alleges that Pineda protected his operations with threats and violence, including a notorious incident in 2017 where he threatened a competing gambling parlor owner with a gun and referred to a ‘high voltage cattle prod’ that a co-conspirator could use to collect a debt.

The investigation, led by the FBI, NYPD, and ICE, resulted in the arrest of 14 additional defendants who were previously arraigned on four indictments unsealed last month in federal court in Brooklyn. The defendants, including Yunfeng Gao, Ting ‘Ting Ting’ Li, Ivan Kaleda, Marco Rescino, Guanghua ‘Mao Mao’ Shen, Jin Wang, Joung Hwa Yun, Lu ‘Chinese Ivan’ Zhai, and Nan Zhang, are charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and methamphetamine distribution.

Min Li and Steven Torres are charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, while Davoud Haghighy is charged with methamphetamine distribution and firearm charges. Pineda is being held without bail pending his next court appearance.

The case is a major blow to the methamphetamine trade in New York, and a testament to the collaborative efforts of law enforcement agencies to dismantle large-scale distribution networks. The investigation was led by the FBI, NYPD, and ICE, with assistance from ICE Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Postal Inspection Service.

According to United States Attorney Richard P. Donoghue, ‘Drug dealers are trying to turn New York into the next methamphetamine wasteland. The Eastern District will work tirelessly with our partners on long-term investigations such as this to prosecute those who poison our communities with this highly addictive and dangerous drug.’

FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William F. Sweeney, Jr., stated, ‘Using his illegal gambling business as a foundation, Pineda allegedly orchestrated an illicit methamphetamine enterprise. Distributing on both a large scale and street level, Pineda and his co-defendants carelessly endangered our communities. These individuals operated on opposite sides of the nation – but with the help of our fellow law enforcement agencies, today’s arrests show that expansiveness never inhibits justice.’

This case serves as a reminder that law enforcement will be relentless in removing these criminals from our streets, and that those who engage in such activities will face severe consequences.