Staten Island man charged following NYPD raid that found loaded firearms, multiple drugs

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The NYPD recovered multiple guns and drugs during a raid at the home of a 46-year-old man in Eltingville.

The defendant also is accused of threatening a woman known to him prior to the raid.

Vito Lella, 46, was apprehended when officers armed with a search warrant swarmed his home on King Street on May 20 around 8:30 p.m., according to the criminal complaint based on an investigation by Narcotics Borough Staten Island.

The criminal complaint alleges that illegal items were found in a room on an upper level of the home. A gray Burgo .22-caliber revolver that had a brown handle was stored in a safe on the floor. The revolver was loaded with eight bullets.

A scale that was tainted with cocaine and plastic zipper bags of the type typically used in the drug trade were also found in the floor safe.

The criminal complaint alleges that officers located a wall safe that contained a black Ruger .380-caliber semi-automatic handgun with one bullet in its chamber and six rounds in its magazine. Next to the Ruger were 58 bullets, including 20 rounds suitable for use in a 12-gauge shotgun.

When a closet was searched, officers allegedly recovered a satchel containing .380-caliber bullets. A magazine was fully loaded with 15 bullets and a box held 23 rounds.

The criminal complaint alleges that two cell phones and an array of drugs and paraphernalia were situated inside a desk in the same room. Officers located cocaine powder stored in two clear twist bags and one plastic zipper bag. Officers allegedly detected cocaine residue on two scales.

An orange pill bottle contained 26 multicolored pills of MDMA, a powerful form of ecstasy. A loose purple pill of MDMA also was confiscated, according to the criminal complaint.

A second orange pill bottle held anti-anxiety medications, including 61 white rectangular pills of alprazolam stamped Y21 and six yellow circular pills of clonazepam marked 832. Two twist bags held psilocybin, commonly known as magic mushrooms, according to the criminal complaint.

“Anything that’s in the safes is mine,” the criminal complaint quoted Lella as saying. “Nobody could put anything in there.”

The criminal complaint alleges that the defendant does not have a license to own a firearm in the City or State of New York.

The defendant has been charged with criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell, criminal possession of a firearm, criminal possession of a controlled substance, criminal use of drug paraphernalia and an administrative code violation of possession of ammunition, according to the criminal complaint.

The defendant was convicted in July 2007 of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree and sentenced to time served and a six-month license suspension, according to the criminal complaint.

Threats made against victim

The criminal complaint alleges that Lella violated an order of protection by sending a “lengthy stream of unanswered text messages, pictures and links to TikTok videos” threatening bodily harm to a woman earlier in May.

The defendant has been charged with criminal contempt, aggravated harassment and harassment.

Lella has pleaded not guilty to all charges. He is being held at Rikers Island in lieu of combined bail set at $215,000 bond/$80,000 cash. He is due back in state Criminal Court in St. George on June 15, according to public records.

An attorney for the defendant did not immediately respond to a request for comment.