COPS HANG UP $1M-A-YEAR COCAINE PHONE-ORDER BIZ

A $1 million-a-year phone-order cocaine ring that used pop music
terms as code words was smashed after a nine-month investigation into
the southeast Queens operation, authorities said yesterday.

The operation was run out of three homes in Hollis, Springfield
Gardens and Rosedale by drug dealers who used the phrases "R&B" and
"hip-hop" to indicate what type of drugs they were selling, authorities said.

"Cocaine would be offered in coded language, with 'R&B' used as a
reference for soft, powdered cocaine, as opposed to 'hip-hop,' which
would be a reference to hard, or crack, cocaine," Queens District
Attorney Richard Brown said.

"Once the orders were placed, the defendants would allegedly deliver
the cocaine to their customers at an agreed upon location," which
included public parks or parking lots of places such as the Kentucky
Fried Chicken eatery at Baisley and Merrick Blvds. in Jamaica, Brown said.

Many of the "customers" were minor cocaine dealers who resold the
drugs, prosecutors allege.

Police allegedly recovered $7,000 in cash, $125,000 worth of cocaine,
a .380 automatic handgun and 42 Ziploc bags containing $20 of crack
cocaine each during searches conducted earlier this week.

Cops arrested alleged ringleader Shawn (Snaggs) Williams of
Springfield Gardens. He was charged with first-degree criminal sale
of a controlled substance and other charges.

Williams, who faces up to 24 years in prison, was arraigned in Queens
Criminal Court Wednesday night and ordered held without bail.

Two others, Karl (Shorts) Bryant, 26, of Hollis, and Jahmel (Mel)
Holland, 24, of Rosedale, are at large.