Nearly two dozen gang members accused of hiding drugs in car seats and trap doors have been arrested on Long Island, after police said they seized enough fentanyl to kill tens of thousands of people.
Most of the suspects arrested on Monday — 21 in all — were said to be members of a Riverhead street gang called the Nine Tre bloods, which has been selling fentanyl and other drugs across the county, according to the Suffolk County district attorney.
Three law enforcement agencies involved recovered 11 illegal guns and 268 grams of fentanyl, or about nine ounces, following the 16-month investigation. And while that doesn't sound like a lot, DA Ray Tierney said it's enough to kill 134,000 people. In once case, some of the fentanyl sold by the gang members resulted in the overdose death of a 25-year-old mother, the district attorney said.
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"Fentanyl, mixed with the wrong type of drug, is deadly," said Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison.
That's what makes the drug such a priority for law enforcement, Harrison said. In addition to finding the drugs in the odd locations, police said that the alleged dealers used bags of coffee grounds to try and mask the scene from drug-sniffing police dogs.
"This is the tip of the iceberg. Unfortunately, if you ask me, there's a lot more out there," said Harrison.
Last year alone, 350 Suffolk County residents died of fentanyl-related drug overdoses. Prosecutors said that dealers have easy access to fentanyl and mis it with other drugs — a mixture users are willing to buy even though it could prove deadly.
"Clearly anyone addicted to a substance may at some point use any substance they can get their hands on, so they will roll the dice when they use fentanyl," said Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon.
Toulon added that New York needs more rehab facilities to lessen fentanyl demand, while the DA said that bail reform laws must be changed to keep dealers off the street.
"No question about it: It is contributing to young people dying," Tierney said. "Enough is enough. We need better laws."
