Thirty-seven people were arrested early today in a major drug sweep targeting high-end painkillers following a two-year undercover investigation in Queens.
Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said Wednesday's arrests also netted large quantities of Ecstasy, Vicodin, Xanax and other highly addictive pharmaceuticals.
Police also recovered three loaded handguns, several pounds of marijuana and $20,000 in cash.
“The combination of drugs and guns is a clear prescription for violence. Investigators today recovered firearms along with high-end pharmaceuticals and large quantities of marijuana, in addition to a veritable pharmacy of painkillers and other narcotics that were purchased during dangerous undercover operations," Police Commissioner Ray Kelly explained.
The twenty-eight defendants charged in the indictment were arrested beginning this morning and are expected to be arraigned in Queens Supreme Court in Kew Gardens tomorrow.
"The drugs in which the defendants are alleged to have trafficked in are popular with club patrons despite the fact that they pose serious health risks. We have seen a huge rise in the use and abuse of prescription painkillers," Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.
