7 Charged In Nassau County Heroin Bust; $1 Million In Drugs Confiscated
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- A total of $1 million worth of heroin and cocaine have been taken off the streets in Nassau County, police said Monday.
Between March and April, Nassau County police Narcotic detectives investigated the trafficking of large amounts of heroin through the towns of Freeport, Merrick, Massapequa, Seaford, and Wantagh. As a result of the investigation, seven alleged drug dealers were arrested.
Nassau County police said they found the huge cache of drugs hidden in secret car compartments. They allegedly found 3,500 individual doses of heroin and 3 kilos of cocaine, CBS2's Carolyn Gusoff reported.
All the tools of the trade were also found in the alleged drug dealers' homes, police said.
Mangano said drug dealers are targeting young adults in record numbers.
"With fatal overdoses this year alone at 48, as compared to a 58 for the entire year last year, the war on heroin continues," Mangano said.
The suspects who were arrested were Brian Jones 35, of Freeport; Pedro Ramirez, 37, of the Bronx; Sean Arias, 28, of Merrick; Jesse Arias, 37, of Long Beach; Reynaldo Arias, 58, of Long Beach; William Johnson, 61, of Long Beach; and Robert Baumberger, 26, of Merrick.
They faced charges including criminal possession of a controlled substance, criminal possession of a controlled substance and conspiracy and were arraigned in Nassau County First District Court in Hempstead.
"This was a major distribution that was responsible for dealing 10,000 decks of heroin a week along the south shore of Nassau County," Mangano said.
Police said Reynaldo Arias is the father of Sean and Jesse Arias, who allegedly dealt heroin from their Olive Street home. The home is adorned with flowers and located next door to children and unsuspecting moms.
"It's scary. It's scary because it's everywhere," said Melissa Lindner of Long Beach. "It's not just in someone else's backyard. It's in ours."
And in Freeport, police said Jones was selling heroin right across the street from a day care center.
Police said the drugs were being distributed from the Bronx before being sold on Long Island.
