What to Know
- An employee of New York City has been arrested, accused of operating a drug lab out of his girlfriend's house on Long Island
- Sources said the man had been growing marijuana and making ecstasy out of the Mastic house
- Neighbors say they've noticed suspicious activity in the past few years; the man is facing federal charges
A New York City employee has been arrested, accused of operating an ecstasy and marijuana growhouse out of his girlfriend's home on Long Island, law enforcement sources said.
Sources said the home on Roda Drive in Mastic is one of the most sophisticated drug labs investigators have ever worked on. Wires and false walls have been found inside, and haz-mat teams remained throughout the day Friday working to identify all the chemicals they found.
Some neighbors were not surprised. Some said they've even called 911 on suspicious activity there.
"Cars parked, cars pulling up, cars pulling away fast," said Ken Garcia. "It's unusual in this quiet little neighborhood... It's been going on for a long time, a year, two years."
Homeland Security Investigations agents said they found chemicals used to make the drugs inside the home, and arrested one man. No one else was in danger.
"As far as they have determined, everything is safe," said HSI Deputy Special Agent Jason Molina. "That's why we haven't evacuated anyone. Everybody is remaining in their houses."
Local
The HSI investigation had been going on for weeks, and it came to a head Thursday night when investigators showed up at the Mastic home.
"I came home and then my road was blocked," said neighbor Karen Armour. "Usually it's a quiet little street and when they told me it's a crime scene last night, I'm like, on our street? It's only a few houses so it's shocking. I've been here 46 years, and this is shocking."
The quantity of narcotics found inside the home wasn't clear, but sources said it was included enough ecstasy and marijuana to make it a federal case.
The suspect hasn't been named but he's said to be an electrician who works for the city of New York.
