New York

Authorities Smash Bronx Drug Trafficking Ring, Arrest Dozens

The bust comes just two days after Mayor de Blasio unveiled a new plan to cut opioid-related deaths in the city

Authorities broke up a major drug-dealing operation in the Bronx on Wednesday, arresting dozens of people on charges ranging from heroin trafficking to firearms possession to murder. 

Most of the 40 people arrested are gang members who were allegedly trafficking cocaine, heroin and marijuana, according to law enforcement sources and charging documents filed by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan.

The defendants -- with street names like "Floss," "Chuck Dollarz," "Green Eyes," "All In," "Chunky" and "Dayday" -- conspired from 2010 through as recently as this month to traffic and distribute drugs, the government said. (The indictment bore the signature of Preet Bharara, the former U.S. Attorney who was fired by President Trump last week.)

In addition to the broader drugs and weapons charges, four of the defendants also face murder charges over the Dec. 11, 2016 shooting death of a man in the Bronx. 

The NYPD worked alongside Homeland Security Investigations in the probe. 

The bust comes just two days after Mayor de Blasio unveiled a new plan to cut opioid-related deaths in the city by more than a third over five years, using a combination of law enforcement and treatment.

The law enforcement sources said, however, that Wednesday's takedown was not tied to the mayor's initiative. 

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