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FBI: Five suspects charged for trafficking opioids, cocaine in Riverhead area

Five people were indicted in federal court Thursday for trafficking heroin, fentanyl and cocaine in the Riverhead area, federal prosecutors said.

A press release issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation states that the five individuals — two of whom live in Riverhead, another in Flanders — were involved in a 15-month conspiracy to distribute several controlled substances, including over one kilogram of heroin, 40 grams of fentanyl, and crack cocaine.

Prosecutors said two of the suspects, Robert Quarles, 43, of Mastic and Tyrone Ligon, 49, of Southampton were in possession of drugs at the time of their arrest. Charles Scruggs, 31, of Riverhead, Deena Colgan, 47, of Riverhead and Michael Steketee, 41, of Flanders were also charged in the conspiracy.

“As alleged, the defendants sold dangerous drugs with no regard for the harm caused to the users or residents of the community,” United States Attorney Richard Donoghue said in a statement. “This Office and our law enforcement partners at the FBI and the East End Drug Task Force will continue to tirelessly investigate and prosecute individuals who contribute to the opioid epidemic.”

FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William Sweeney said the suspects “don’t see the destruction left in their wake.”

“They only see the money they make from pushing and selling,” he said in a statement. “The opioid deaths in our community and our country get worse each day, but the FBI Long Island Gang Task Force and our law enforcement partners won’t stop investigating and arresting all the dealers we can to keep more people from dying.”

Ms. Colgan was already in custody. She will be arraigned April 2. The other four individuals have already been arraigned, according to the release.

The indictment has not yet been made publicly available online.

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