Police arrested a well-known Staten Island chef Wednesday for allegedly leading a drug ring, New York Post reported.
Ettore Mazzei was arrested for allegedly leading a drug operation and exploiting drug addicts into “servitude,” according to the New York Post. His arrest followed overnight raids at his residence and businesses, including Chez Vous Caterers and a construction company he owns. Staten Island District Attorney Michael McMahon described Mazzei’s criminal activities as extensive, involving drug dealing, extortion and fraud against various government programs.
NYC chef Ettore Mazzei busted as mastermind behind massive drug ring after netting local business honor: prosecutors https://t.co/WPDgJGGa6O pic.twitter.com/r0igw9FxJJ
— New York Post (@nypost) May 22, 2024
“Like a modern-day Fagin, the character from Dickens’ Great Expectations, Mazzei preyed on vulnerable people who suffered from addiction illness and oppressed them into servitude in his catering business, for housing and ultimately, for drug dealing,” McMahon said in a statement, New York Post reported. (RELATED: Minnesota Woman Pleads Guilty To Drug Trafficking In Midwest)
During a 14-month undercover operation beginning March 2023, Mazzei and his co-defendants allegedly sold large quantities of heroin, cocaine and suboxone to undercover officers, the outlet stated. The operation implicated about 20 individuals, with Mazzei identified as the “primary orchestrator” of these activities. His businesses and properties have reportedly been the scenes of various violent crimes, including shootings and an armed home invasion.
Cocaine is weighed on a scale by a Belgian customs officer at the Brussels Airport in Zaventem on April 6, 2023. – Belgian bunnies will be an Easter treat for kids around the world this weekend, but not all are moulded from the country’s renowned chocolate. A batch of rabbits seized this week by veteran customs officer Pol Meuleneire was crafted from a solid lump of MDMA, the raw material for pills of the rave drug ecstasy. (Photo by KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP via Getty Images)
Mazzei’s alleged involvement in the drug trade has been linked to multiple overdose deaths in Staten Island, adding to the severity of the allegations against him, according to the New York Post. Despite previously being recognized by the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce for community efforts and participating in anti-drug initiatives, Mazzei now faces serious charges, including criminal sale of a controlled substance and grand larceny. He was held on $3 million cash bail and $5 million bond at his arraignment.
