By Tiffany Williams –
Two men were arraigned in Queens on a staggering 194-count indictment charging them with trafficking guns and narcotics in what prosecutors are calling the “Iron Pipeline.” Teddy Gaston, 39, aka “JD Yikes,” of Jamaica, and 41-year-old Jezerel Huston of Macon, Georgia, allegedly ran a coordinated operation moving firearms from Georgia into Southeast Queens to sell on the streets.
The case stems from a six-month joint investigation by the Queens District Attorney’s office, NYPD, and Homeland Security Investigations. Undercover operations documented more than 70 illegal transactions involving firearms, ammunition, fentanyl, and cocaine, with many taking place in a McDonald’s parking lot in Rosedale. Authorities say the haul included 59 firearms, seven assault weapons, a ghost gun, 98 fentanyl pills, roughly 100 grams of cocaine, and multiple rounds of ammunition, much of it high-capacity or defaced.
District Attorney Melinda Katz called the arrests a blow to a dangerous trafficking network. “These defendants peddled weapons and narcotics, running firearms, assault rifles, and at least one ghost gun up from the South to be sold in our borough,” Katz said. “We are determined to dismantle the Iron Pipeline that places countless lives at risk.”
Mayor Eric Adams praised the coordinated effort. “These defendants thought they could sell dozens of firearms, fentanyl, and cocaine in our city, but they were wrong,” Adams said. “No one fights gun and narcotic trafficking better than the NYPD.”
HSI New York Special Agent in Charge Ricky Patel said every illegal gun recovered is a potential tragedy averted, highlighting the danger the network posed to neighborhoods. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch stressed that the defendants flooded the streets with more than 75 guns and deadly drugs, but investigators’ work removed them from circulation.
Gaston and Huston were arraigned before Supreme Court Justice Toni Cimino, remanded into custody, and ordered to return to court on October 6. If convicted, they face up to 25 years in prison.
Surveillance and undercover evidence reportedly captured Gaston and Huston transporting suitcases full of guns and fentanyl pills for cash. In one buy, Gaston handed over six handguns, including a defaced weapon and five high-capacity guns, after the undercover left $4,300 as payment. In another, a suitcase containing eight firearms, including an assault rifle and a ghost gun, was exchanged for $9,400. Both men were arrested on September 9 during a pre-arranged gun sale, with authorities seizing 18 additional firearms, including five assault weapons.