What to Know
- 5 Bronx men were arrested after millions of dollars in suspected heroin and fentanyl was seized in an alleged packaging mill, officials say
- During the Wednesday night search, authorities allegedly seized about 25 kilograms of suspected heroin and fentanyl
- The Drug Enforcement Administration estimates the suspected drugs that were seized to be worth up to $7.5 million
Five Bronx men were arrested after millions of dollars in suspected heroin and fentanyl was seized in an alleged packaging mill, authorities announced Thursday.
Luis Guzman-Rojas, 46, Matias Rosario-Ramon, 37, Anthony Polanco, 29, Willy De La Cruz, 28, and Pedro Sandoval, 26, are all facing criminal possession of a controlled substance in the first and third degrees in connection to the alleged mill. Rosario-Ramon, Polanco, De La Cruz and Sandoval also face charges of criminally using drug paraphernalia in the second degree.
According to the Special Narcotics Prosecutor for the City of New York, members of the New York Drug Enforcement Task Force (NYDETF) Group T-12 and the Special Narcotics Prosecutor’s (SNP) Investigators Unit conducted a court-authorized search of an apartment in the Soundview section of the Bronx shortly after 11 p.m. Wednesday.
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During the search, which was part of an ongoing investigation into a narcotics trafficking group, authorities seized about 25 kilograms (the equivalent of over 55 pounds) of suspected heroin and fentanyl that the Drug Enforcement Administration estimates to be worth up to $7.5 million.
Authorities say that before the search, at about 8:20 p.m., agents and investigators observed Guzman-Rojas entering the apartment building located in 1240 Morrison Ave. empty-handed, but allegedly, a short time later, he exited “with a weighted black plastic bag” and entered a livery car, which investigators followed and stopped.
Investigators allegedly observed Guzman-Rojas seated in the rear of the vehicle with a plastic-wrapped kilogram of suspected heroin marked with the letters “LV” and the same bag he carried out of the apartment building.
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During the apartment search, agents allegedly recovered about 11 kilograms of a substance they believe to be heroin inside a duffel bag in a bedroom closet, another 10 kilograms hidden in the wall behind a medicine cabinet and about 230 grams inside a green plastic bag inside a dresser in a bedroom.
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Additionally, in another bedroom, agents allegedly found three digital scales, four strainers, 12 electric coffee grinders, 16 tape dispensers and nearly 300 rolls of tape. Also in that bedroom were three large cases of glassine envelopes containing hundreds of individual envelopes and over 100 ink stamps with inkpads. Names on the stamps included, “Dexter,” “Death,” “100%,” “UPS,” “Heartless” and “Super High.”
It is not immediately clear if any of the men retained an attorney to comment on the charges.
