Merrill Lynch associate and Fox Business producer among 21 indicted in massive NYC cocaine bust

The Manhattan district attorney's office has charged more than a dozen people, including high-profile executives, bankers, and accountants, in a massive New York City cocaine sting. 

Three people were charged for allegedly operating the cocaine-trafficking ring out of Manhattan's Lower East Side: Kenny Hernandez, 35, Felix Nunez, 27, and Oscar Almonte, 29.

The operation is accused of selling at least $75,000 in cocaine in one year, according to indictment papers obtained by Business Insider.

Eighteen "key repeat buyers" were also charged, including Christopher Dodson, a client associate at Merrill Lynch; Mark Crumpacker, chief marketing and development officer for Chipotle; Katie Welnhofer, a Fox Business producer who works on "Mornings with Maria;" and Austin Dodson, an associate at real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield.

Merrill Lynch, Chipotle, Cushman and Wakefield, and Fox Business did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

An 88-page charging document details hundreds of texts and calls between the buyers and sellers between June 2015 and June 2016.

All of the alleged buyers were charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Customers regularly paid between $200 and $300 for the delivery service, and bought the drugs in bodegas, hotels, and Duane Reade convenience stores across Manhattan, according to the indictment papers.

According to the Manhattan district attorney's office:

"Members of the ring allegedly used car services to deliver the drugs to buyers, including to delis, restaurants, bars, apartments, hotels, and the buyers' workplaces. The defendants delivered to locations across Manhattan, including the Lower East Side, the Upper East Side, Chelsea, the Financial District, and Midtown, as well as areas of Brooklyn and Queens. Many of the sales took place in delis or Duane Reade and CVS pharmacies. Customers generally paid between $200 and $300 per transaction."