The State - News from Jan. 16, 1986

A major international ring that brought millions of dollars worth of heroin to the United States has been broken after a yearlong investigation, the Drug Enforcement Agency reported in San Jose. The ring involved some of the same figures whose names surfaced during the famed “French Connection” investigation of the 1960s, Larry Lusardi, agent in charge of the DEA bureau in the Bay Area city, said. He was unable to say how much heroin was imported, but said the trade was “obviously in the millions of dollars.” After a federal complaint was issued in New York, the federal agency began making arrests, including a San Jose couple, Rose and George Adragna, Lusardi said, adding that many of those involved are senior citizens. The Adragnas, charged with conspiracy, were released on a $100,000 bond and were ordered to appear in court on Jan. 30. Lusardi said their arrest came after a series of court-ordered wiretaps on their home.