$10M+ of drugs, gun cache seized from abandoned Queens home: DA

A 43-year-old man is facing a whopping number of charges after more than $10 million worth of drugs and a cache of guns were found in an abandoned Queens home, the local district attorney's office said.

Victor Rodriguez was arraigned Oct. 27 on a 112-count indictment charging him with, among a litany of crimes, operating as a major trafficker; three counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the first degree; four counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree; four counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fourth degree; 26 counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree; 10 counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree; 12 counts of aggravated criminal possession of a weapon; 39 counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree; manufacture, transport, disposition and defacement of weapon and dangerous instruments and appliance; five counts of attempted criminal possession of a firearm; and unlawful possession of pistol ammunition, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Wednesday.

If convicted, Rodriguez faces 25 years to life in prison. He is ordered to return to court on Nov. 6. Attorney information was not immediately known.

The long list of crimes stems from the discovery of heroin, fentanyl and cocaine and a stockpile of firearms in an abandoned house after a contractor stumbled upon the illegal stash in May when they were hired due to the recent sale of the property located on 88th Road.

One can’t even calculate how many lives would have been cut short or ruined by the millions of dollars worth of lethal narcotics and deadly weapons that were found.

Melinda Katz, Queens District Attorney

The contractor took photos of the discovery and alerted police, who searched the residence and allegedly discovered eight kilograms of heroin, fentanyl and cocaine and 1.5 million glassine envelopes containing heroin or a mix of heroin and fentanyl. The drugs, according to prosecutors, had a street value between $10 million and $11 million. Additionally, several handguns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition were found.

Through the investigation, it was determined that after the contractor left, Rodriguez was allegedly seen on surveillance video going to and from the property with two coolers that appeared to have held 15 kilos of drugs, the district attorney's office said.

Following a search warrant of the property obtained for the day after the discovery, authorities allegedly uncovered the following:

• Around 1.5 million glassine envelopes containing either heroin or heroin and fentanyl with a street value of about $10 million;
• Eight kilos of cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl with a street value of about $500,000;
• At least one plastic bag with a mixture of heroin, fentanyl, cocaine and the opioid pain medicine tramadol;
• Thousands of empty glassine envelopes;
• Three kilo presses often used by drug traffickers to package large quantities of drugs;
• Two respirator masks used in the production and packaging of illegal narcotics;
• Two electronic scales;
• Five loaded P80 9 mm ghost gun semiautomatic pistols;
• One loaded 9 mm Derringer semiautomatic pistol;
• One loaded .38-caliber revolver;
• One loaded Glock 17 9 mm semiautomatic pistol;
• One loaded Sig Sauer 9 mm pistol;
• One loaded .38-caliber Derringer semiautomatic pistol;
• One loaded Smith and Wesson 9 mm semiautomatic pistol;
• One loaded .40-caliber semiautomatic pistol;
• Five complete ghost gun kits, including unfinished frames that had not yet been made into operable firearms;
• 25 high-capacity ammunition feeding devices;
• Over 200 rounds of assorted ammunition including 9mm, .40 caliber, and .38 caliber;
• A handheld Dremel drill, used to manufacture and/or assemble ghost guns;
• A DVR digital recorder;
• Four cellphones;
• Two parking summonses for a Blue Infiniti SUV that were tied to Rodriguez.

“One can’t even calculate how many lives would have been cut short or ruined by the millions of dollars worth of lethal narcotics and deadly weapons that were found. What we do know for certain is that our families, friends and neighborhoods are all safer thanks to this massive seizure," Katz said.

Meanwhile, NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban shared similar sentiments.

“The NYPD and our law enforcement partners will never waver in our commitment to rid our city of illegal narcotics and the traffickers responsible for putting New Yorkers’ lives at risk," Caban said.