Santiago Luis Polanco Rodríguez
Encyclopedia
Santiago Luis Polanco Rodríguez (born June 16, 1961 in Santiago
, Dominican Republic
) is a Dominican American
former drug dealer considered to be the first mass marketer of crack cocaine
in United States. Better known by his street name, Yayo, he carries a special distinction among drug dealers, according to experts in the drug trade . Officials from the Drug Enforcement Agency have portrayed him as a calculating and disciplined criminal who organized Dominican, Jamaica
n and American
street dealers into a marketing
empire. Law enforcement officials say he was perhaps the richest Dominican drug kingpin in the United States
.
, rounding up hundreds of buyers and street sellers, many of whom became informers. They led agents to Polanco-Rodriguez's headquarters at 2400 Webb Avenue and 2623 Sedgwick Avenue, in Kingsbridge Heights, Bronx
. There, agents found bulletproof vests, automatic weapons, a gas mask and more than one-hundred thousand empty crack vials. In 1987, US Attorney Rudolph W. Giuliani signed a 58-count Federal indictment
charging Polanco-Rodriguez with drug trafficking, racketeering and money laundering
. On July 3, 1987, Federal authorities announced they had successfully terminated the drug ring, which they described as the biggest distributor of crack in New York City
. Twenty-nine people were subsequently arrested for involvement in the drug ring.
Santiago de los Caballeros
Santiago de los Caballeros is a city in the Dominican Republic. Founded in 1495 during the first wave of European colonization of the New World, today Santiago is the second largest metropolis in the Dominican Republic, located in the north-central region of the Republic known as Cibao valley...
, Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
) is a Dominican American
Dominican American
A Dominican American is any American who has origins in the Dominican Republic.Immigration records of Dominicans in the United States date from the late 19th century, and New York City has had a Dominican community since the 1930s...
former drug dealer considered to be the first mass marketer of crack cocaine
Crack cocaine
Crack cocaine is the freebase form of cocaine that can be smoked. It may also be termed rock, hard, iron, cavvy, base, or just crack; it is the most addictive form of cocaine. Crack rocks offer a short but intense high to smokers...
in United States. Better known by his street name, Yayo, he carries a special distinction among drug dealers, according to experts in the drug trade . Officials from the Drug Enforcement Agency have portrayed him as a calculating and disciplined criminal who organized Dominican, Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n and American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
street dealers into a marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
empire. Law enforcement officials say he was perhaps the richest Dominican drug kingpin in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
DEA crackdown and flight to the Dominican Republic
In 1986, the DEA began an anti-crack campaign in New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, rounding up hundreds of buyers and street sellers, many of whom became informers. They led agents to Polanco-Rodriguez's headquarters at 2400 Webb Avenue and 2623 Sedgwick Avenue, in Kingsbridge Heights, Bronx
Kingsbridge Heights, Bronx
Kingsbridge Heights is a working class residential neighborhood geographically located in the northwest Bronx, New York City. The neighborhood is part of Bronx Community Board 8. Its boundaries are Van Cortlandt Park to the north, Jerome Avenue to the east, Kingsbridge Road to the south, and the...
. There, agents found bulletproof vests, automatic weapons, a gas mask and more than one-hundred thousand empty crack vials. In 1987, US Attorney Rudolph W. Giuliani signed a 58-count Federal indictment
Indictment
An indictment , in the common-law legal system, is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that maintain the concept of felonies, the serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that lack the concept of felonies often use that of an indictable offence—an...
charging Polanco-Rodriguez with drug trafficking, racketeering and money laundering
Money laundering
Money laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount...
. On July 3, 1987, Federal authorities announced they had successfully terminated the drug ring, which they described as the biggest distributor of crack in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Twenty-nine people were subsequently arrested for involvement in the drug ring.