An insane amount of illegal drugs were found at a New York pizza joint and on a private beach in Martha’s Vineyard.
Three people were taken into custody in the Bronx after their arrest for possessing approximately 100 pounds of illegal drugs, which law enforcement authorities valued at $4 million.
According to Frank Tarentino, the DEA special agent in charge of the NY Division, the drugs intercepted at Mexzzarella Pizza were predominantly cocaine and fentanyl.
Suspects in illegal drug bust
The people arrested in the raid were identified as Gaudencio Rosendo Perez (47), Zulema Cardenas Espinoza (53), and Alexander Samboy (45).
Each of them faces charges of operating as a trafficker and criminal possession of controlled substances.
An arraignment took place on Friday at Manhattan Criminal Court. While Perez was remanded, bail was set at $150,000 for the other two defendants.
Mexzzarella Pizza had a significant stash in illegal fentanyl drug bust
Tarentino said the stash they found in the basement of Mexzzarella Pizza was “very significant,” because of its “potential to supply drug networks throughout the Northeast.”
Tarentino further revealed that the growing issue of fentanyl adulteration in cocaine has been contributing to poisonings and unnecessary deaths nationwide.
Describing the operation, Bridget G. Brennan, New York City’s special narcotics prosecutor, said that the Bronx-based narcotics enterprise operated as a wholesaler and distributor of cocaine and fentanyl-laced products while disguised as “inexpensive Mexican pizza spot.”
Brennan expressed her office’s commitment to collaborating with federal, state, and local enforcement agencies to curb the distribution of lethal drugs, which tragically claimed an unprecedented number of lives in the city last year.
Almost a million in cocaine washes ashore in illegal drug bust
Elsewhere, nearly a million dollars worth of cocaine was discovered on a private beach in Martha’s Vineyard.
U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agen David DiTullio, revealed that the illegal drug was found by a family of beachgoers at Lucy Vincent Beach in July.
The cocaine was reportedly found “uncut” or in its purest form, and packaged in 24 one-kilogram bricks, each stamped with a toucan.
The estimated value of the drugs ranged between $864,000 to $1.3 million, which DiTullio said was likely the largest amount ever discovered on the island.
“This is not a common thing to happen in Massachusetts or even New England for that matter,” he told the Vineyard Gazette.
“As an agency, we see it happen down in the Florida Keys, in the Caribbean. But this is kind of an anomaly for this part of the states.”
The shipment is believed to be linked to South American drug cartels, but the origin of the drugs that washed up on the private beach remains unclear.
It is suspected that either a transporter vessel dumped its cargo after being “spooked” by Coast Guard, or someone left the package in the water for someone else to retrieve.
The investigation is still ongoing, and no arrests have been made.
