Former NYPD officer charged in citywide drug trafficking ring

Shanta Sawyer, 44, is accused of leading the ring, which also involved his wife, Sophia Abinacer, 37, Michael Giordano, 35, and Philip Pietrunti, 60, a former member of the NYPD’s Emergency Service Unit. The group allegedly supplied narcotics to numerous customers on Staten Island.

The arrests followed a six-month investigation involving wiretaps and raids conducted last Thursday at the Washington Heights residence of Sawyer and Abinacer, and at the Great Kills and Eltingville homes of Giordano and Pietrunti. During the searches, police discovered fentanyl, crack cocaine, heroin, a pill-pressing machine, and a significant amount of drugs.

At Giordano’s residence, officers found crack cocaine, heroin, cocaine, scales, and packaging materials. Pietrunti’s home contained 13 unlicensed firearms.

Intercepted phone conversations revealed details of the operation, including a May 18 discussion where Sawyer and Pietrunti arranged a cocaine sale for resale. On another occasion, they discussed a meeting at a Wendy’s restaurant to sell cocaine and counterfeit Xanax pills.

Investigators also documented plans to use Abinacer to deliver narcotics, referred to as “dog food,” “G’s,” “Hard,” “Candy,” and “Pebbles,” to a buyer in Staten Island. Further communications detailed plans to sell cocaine and fentanyl from Giordano’s home.

Richmond County District Attorney Michael McMahon stated, “The defendants are alleged to have participated in a multi-borough criminal conspiracy that sought to flood our borough with dangerous narcotics… Philip Pietrunti, a retired NYPD Emergency Service Unit member, is accused of amassing a small army’s worth of illegal firearms.”

Pietrunti previously faced charges in 2015 for allegedly shooting at an excavator during a job dispute.

Sawyer’s bail was set at $250,000, while Pietrunti’s bail was set at $100,000. Abinacer and Giordano were released without bail.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch emphasized the department’s commitment to removing drugs and firearms from the streets, praising the collaborative effort with the Special Narcotics Prosecutor’s Office and the Richmond County District Attorney’s Office.