Schenectady Felon Admits to Distributing Heroin and Fentanyl, and Possessing Firearms in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Ralph St. Croix, a.k.a. “Stretch,” age 38, most recently of Schenectady, New York, formerly of Long Island, pled guilty today to distribution of heroin and fentanyl, and to the possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; John B. DeVito; Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); and New York State Police (NYSP) Superintendent Kevin P. Bruen.

As part of his plea, St. Croix admitted to selling heroin and fentanyl to another person on three occasions in December 2020 at his apartment in Schenectady.  St. Croix further admitted to possessing, in his apartment, a loaded Smith and Wesson .38 caliber revolver and Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun, in order to guard against the potential theft of his drugs and drug proceeds.  St. Croix also had a prior felony conviction at the time he possessed the firearms. 

St. Croix faces at least 5 years and up to life in prison, a fine of up to $1 million, and a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of at least 3 years and up to life when he is sentenced, on March 14, 2022, by Senior United States District Judge Frederick J. Scullin, Jr.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.

This case was investigated by the ATF and NYSP, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emmet O’Hanlon.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.