NYPD Officer Accused Of Selling Illegal Painkillers In Long Island Drug Ring
CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- An NYPD officer is under arrest, accused of peddling hundreds of painkillers a day in an illegal drug ring.
Two of the officer's alleged accomplices are also charged.
Twenty-eight-year-old Officer Joseph Recca, of West Islip, is accused of being a middleman in a Long Island drug ring. He has been suspended without pay and faces 25 years if convicted.
His father had no comment for reporters.
On a street where children ride bikes and Boy Scouts patrol, the West Islip home of an alleged gym buddy accomplice of Recca was raided.
Investigators say hundreds of oxycodone pills, possibly laced with fetanyl and hydrochloride, ghost guns and burner phones were discovered, linked to the fatal overdose of a victim in his 20s.
"During a subsequent investigation, it was learned that Joseph Recca, an active New York City police officer, was selling illicit drugs to the victim," Suffolk Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart said.
Recca was pulled over after leaving the supplier's. Suffolk police say they found a cache of illegal pills in a hidden trap in the cop's dashboard and $10,000 in his home.
"Have you seen drug dealing coming and going across the street?" CBS2's Jennifer McLogan asked one neighbor.
"No, this is a very nice neighborhood," he said.
There was support for the officer at his virtual arraignment, where family members described a "good guy."
"This is obviously a shocking case because it involves a member of law enforcement dealing drugs in our community, which is very concerning. We are going to hold him accountable as well as his co-conspirators," Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy Sini said.
The judge placed Recca on supervised release with an electronic monitoring bracelet and GPS tracking, telling Recca "so we know where you are at all times."
The judge also told the NYPD officer he's going to need a good lawyer.
Recca was assigned to the 25th Precinct. He and his two alleged accomplices pleaded not guilty.
