Former SiriusXM DJ sentenced to eight years

DJ Love Dinero pled guilty to his involvement in cross-country narcotics operation

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A former SiriusXM disc jockey was sentenced to eight years in prison for his role in a cross-country narcotics trafficking operation, which used the United States Postal Service to transport drugs between California and Hempstead.

Lance Holmes, 42, of Hollis, Queens, also known as "DJ Love Dinero," pled guilty in March 2024 to operating as a major trafficker, attempted criminal possession of a controlled substance, and conspiracy. Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly announced that Holmes was sentenced on Oct. 22 to eight years in prison and five years of post-release supervision.

“Lance Holmes played a major role in moving multiple kilos of cocaine and fentanyl from the West Coast right into our Hempstead community, disguising his illicit activity by exploiting our mail system with the help of a postal carrier,” Donnelly said in a statement.

Holmes partnered with Adrianna Lewis, 33, a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier from Rockville Centre. Prosecutors said Lewis helped him by intercepting packages filled with drugs that were sent to addresses along her postal route in Hempstead.

“Together with mail carrier Adrianna Lewis, Holmes mailed the drugs to the addresses of unsuspecting homeowners, where Lewis then intercepted the packages and provided them to Holmes for a price,” Donnelly said.

The narcotics, including cocaine and fentanyl, were shipped in medium flat-rate postal boxes from shipping stores in Southern California. Authorities said Lewis received $500 for each successful delivery.

The investigation, dubbed “Operation Honeycomb,” was conducted by the FBI Long Island Gang Task Force and the ATF Long Island Firearms Task Force. In March 2021, law enforcement executed search warrants that led to the arrest of 40 individuals allegedly involved in narcotics sales in the Hempstead area, including Holmes and Lewis. According to Donnelly, of the 40 who were indicted, nine were charged as major traffickers. 

Holmes allegedly used addresses in Queens, Suffolk and Manhattan to receive drug shipments. He was apprehended by authorities in June 2022, after placing a call to inquire about the whereabouts of his package, after two kilograms of cocaine, which had been bound for delivery, were intercepted and seized by investigators. 

Law enforcement seized a total of 10 kilograms of cocaine and 1 kilogram of fentanyl during its investigation. K9 units from the Nassau County Police Department and New York State Police were also used to help sniff out and intercept several of the packages. 

Lewis pled guilty to criminal facilitation in December 2023 and was sentenced to five years of probation in February 2024.

“This case highlights our dedication to working with our law enforcement partners to stop drug traffickers from exploiting our neighborhoods,”  Donnelly said. “Together with our partners, we will continue to shut down narcotics pipelines into Long Island and send the traffickers to prison.”

Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder echoed the statement in 2022, following the indictment, which he said sends a clear and concise message to drug dealers that illegal drug trafficking will not be tolerated. 

"Nassau County will continue a zero tolerance approach and will never allow drug dealers to infect our neighborhoods, where our families are raising their children," Ryder said.

The Nassau County District Attorney’s office expressed gratitude to its partner agencies, including the FBI Long Island Gang Task Force, United States Postal Inspection Service, Nassau County Police Department, New York State Police, and Rockville Centre Police Department.