Police: 5 indicted in conspiracy of New York-based ring

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Officials have indicted five people in an international New York-based drug ring.

According to the state's special narcotics prosecutor's office, the suspects arranged for large shipments of narcotics to be taken from Mexico and sold in the Northeast. Authorities also seized more than 30 pounds of heroin worth millions of dollars on April 17 in Arkansas.

The alleged leader of the New York-based drug organization, Luisito Colo Pagan is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday. His alleged main distributor Rover Peralta and a third defendant, Fernando Rodriguez, were set to be arraigned Thursday as well. The indictment includes charges of conspiracy to possess and sell controlled substances, conspiracy to kidnap, criminal possession of a controlled substance and criminally using drug paraphernalia.

The investigation began in fall 2014

The organization obtained sizeable shipments of cocaine from a Mexican supplier, according to the special prosecutor. The operation began to unravel when Pagan's organization failed to collect payment from a customer and could not cover a debt to a Mexican supplier.

Officials made arrests during the past three months. Wilton Gutierrez and Carlos Delacruz worked under Pagan and Peralta, and were previously arraigned on the indictment.