A 61-year-old man was arrested for shooting his 43-year-old stepson in a Canarsie apartment last night. According to the Daily News, "Osvaldo Vasquez was mortally wounded in his sixth-floor apartment at the Breukelen Houses in Canarsie by a single blast to the chest just after 6 p.m." more ›

The father of the 21-month old girl who was shot in the face in the crossfire of a Staten Island shootout in September was caught yesterday with 66 baggies of crack and cocaine strapped to his genitals with a rubber band. Michael Bailey, 28, was stopped by police for erratic driving yesterday, and arrested for pot possession—but when police searched him, they found the other narcotics. “I do what I have to, to make money and survive,” Bailey allegedly told police, according to the Post. more ›

We knew there was a reason people think he's the best mayor this town's ever seen! Rudy Giuliani, who's been busy hosting AMC's Mob Week, visited Jimmy Fallon last night and waxed poetic about the good old days of the '80s, when he could just cruise up to Washington Heights and buy crack from his car, "like a McDonald's." Wait, what!? more ›

An ex-con was arrested yesterday for allegedly admitting to killing a Bronx grandmother while in a crack-addled daze. Tyrone Ragland allegedly admitted he was high on crack when he got into a fight over money with 70-year-old Ethel Klein, and stabbed her to death three months ago. "Apparently there had been disputes in the past over that work. He alleges that she owed him $80," said NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly. more ›

We all know that smoking crack and driving is just a bad combination, right? Because if it isn't the "coke bugs" crawling all over you that distracts you from the terrifying hallucinations flying around your car driving, then it'll probably be the argument you get into due to your extreme paranoia and irritability...as one Long Island woman learned the hard way. more ›

During a raid of a massive Queens drug ring, police say that they arrested a 12-year-old girl who was selling drugs. The Post reports, "The grade-schooler, whose name was not released because of her age, sold the drugs to an undercover, officials said. 'She does not look 12,' said NYPD Inspector Michael Bryan. 'We were very shocked to find out' her age." more ›

A middle-aged couple was arrested for selling crack on the mean streets of gritty SoHo. Antonio Henriques, 51, and his wife Mary, 47, lived and worked out of a basement of a building on Sullivan Street between Prince and Houston. According to the Post, the pair "attracted a parade of seedy buyers who would line up early in the morning, waiting near designer shops and million-dollar condos." Police say they had been selling for at least three months; they were arrested at the end of April, and 192 bags of crack were found in their possession (for some comparison, police only recovered 41 bags of crack in a massive Rockaway bust earlier this year). One local resident described the scene the morning after the arrest: "There was a group of despondent crackheads roaming the street." more ›

The NYPD sting that culminated in the arrests of 28 accused drug dealers targeted two rival drug crews working out of a housing project near Lincoln Center. Officers raided the Amsterdam Houses at 6 a.m. yesterday in a sweep dubbed "Operation Opera House" and nabbed the suspects—three of whom are high school students. more ›

Police arrested 28 people—including three high school students—in a cocaine and crack bust in a housing project near Lincoln Center. The suspects are accused of selling drugs inside the Amsterdam Houses—a complex of 13 buildings between 61st and 65th streets, and Amsterdam and West End avenues, the Post reports. After Amsterdam Houses residents began complaining about seeing drug transactions and drug paraphernalia, officers launched an investigation and observed more than 50 drug deals in five different buildings since July. Officials told the tabloid that dealers used students who lived in the complex as "look-outs and dealers-in-training." According to the indictment [Word document], 12 of the suspects were charged with selling controlled substances near a school. more ›

A year-long investigation prompted by a double murder at the Pelham Parkway Houses in the Bronx culminated in a major drug bust yesterday. Narcotics and other units armed with arrest warrants raided the project around 6 a.m., arresting suspects in their apartments. 27 arrests were made, and investigators seized 800 bags of crack, a gram of heroin and 100 bags of marijuana. Resident Marlene Rodriguez told the Daily News, "There's a lot of good people here just trying to live their lives. They need to clean these places up." But one 71-year-old who has lived in the complex for 35 years wasn't impressed. "They got rid of them?" she said. "They'll be right back out here. Isn't that always the case? It's always the case." more ›

Cops broke up a major drug ring and arrested fifty suspected dealers operating out of a Far Rockaway housing project. After making 174 undercover purchases in six months, police raided the Hammel Houses, the Post reports. According to the Daily News, officers cuffed 45 suspects including members of the Bloods, Crips, and Money Over Bitches gangs. Police seized 41 bags of crack, 230 bags of marijuana, and smaller amounts of heroin and Oxycontin. Ten of the suspects had been arrested in a bust two years ago, and police continue to search for 13 other suspects. Queens Narcotics Capt. Thomas Marren says cops will pay close attention to the nearby Carleton Manor housing project so the dealers can't easily relocate. more ›

In 2008 state fatalities due to crack, coke, heroin and other drug overdoses were down to their lowest in nearly a decade. Overdose deaths dropped more than a quarter from the previous year to 666, but don't thank Satan. Officials say an opiate antidote drug called naloxone, distributed by community groups as part of heroin users' emergency kits, may have helped lower the number. The AP reports that overdoses remain the third most common cause of death for New Yorkers between 25 and 34. Still the state's most ubiquitous illegal (though not for long?) drug remains marijuana. more ›

Today a former NYC police sergeant pleaded guilty to using an NYPD computer to get inside information for a crack dealer while on-duty. The pusher suspected he was being followed by law enforcement and asked his cop friend Roosevelt Green—who's since retired from the force—to get him license plate information. Unfortunately for him, the sergeant's punishment, six months behind bars, far exceeds the payment he received for his misdeed: a warm-up suit and a pair of sneakers. The dealer and 14 other members of his drug ring await sentencing, according to AP. more ›

Two sweet-toothed men are bitter after being mistakenly arrested for possession of crack cocaine. "I spent five days in jail for possession of coconut candy," said 33-year-old dad Cesar Rodriguez, who works as a plumber's assistant. Now he and his friend want their just desserts--they're planning a $2 million lawsuit against the NYPD, who their lawyer say was careless and didn't follow protocol. more ›

A Queens mother is suing the city because her daughter was killed by a drug-addled driver when she was supposed to be in foster care. Algerlin Willis announced on Wednesday that she intends to file a $10 million suit against the Administration for Children's Services and Little Flower Children's Services of New York for the October death of her 15-year-old daughter, Katherine, who perished when a woman who had smoked crack, used heroin, and drank alcohol earlier in the day drove a van full of foster children into oncoming traffic. more ›

If you're planning on staying at the bar until 8 am on New Year's Day, this might give you pause. About 69 percent of the cocaine recently seized in the United States has been diluted with a de-worming drug for livestock that when consumed by people can cause "fever, swollen glands, painful sores in the mouth and anus, and an infection that won't go away," according to Daily Intel and the SF Chronicle. The drug Levamisole can "significantly reduce the number of white blood cells in the body," causing a condition called agranulocytosis that can leave patients with serious skin conditions that can "make their skin look black." Not everyone who consumes cocaine tainted with Levamisole becomes ill, though poisoning from coke tainted with the anti-parasitic drug is reportedly more likely to affect for women, and is most common when cocaine is smoked as crack. more ›

Cops busted a Clinton Hill crack and marijuana ring and nabbed 11 individuals suspected of selling drugs on the street, from an apartment building at the corner Putnam and Grand Avenue avenues, and out of a barbershop and two t-shirt stores. In an investigation dubbed "Operation Grand Slam," undercover officers infiltrated the ring and made 18 purchases of crack cocaine before executing a warrant on Oct. 29. During a raid, police recovered 75 grams of crack — which carries a street price of about $10,000 — from the barber shop, two guns and nearly two pounds of weed from the t-shirt shops, and a third gun from the home of a t-shirt store manager. The investigation came in response to community complaints. more ›

The woman who crashed a van full of foster children into oncoming traffic in Queens on Monday confessed to police that she smoked crack cocaine around 1 or 2 a.m., did heroin around 9 a.m., and drank one alcoholic beverage around noon that same day. Sheila Bethea, 45, also admitted to speeding, and told police she did not know 5-year-olds needed to be in car seats. (None of her passengers were even wearing seat belts.) Perhaps even more devastating is the revelation that the children were supposed to taken to their foster care appointment in a cab. more ›

If you make it through the this 8 bazillion word profile in the New York Observer on a crack-smoking hipster, please let us know how it ends. What we learned from a quick scan of the first page is that it doubles as a tip sheet for amateur crackophiles, and also bodegas sell crack kits! The code word at Crack Hipster's bodgea is: "Casaban." And if you say it, "you’re handed a brown paper bag containing the glass tube with a tiny bunched-up ball of steel wool at one end, and a little lighter. It costs $2.50." more ›

From Newsday: "With her 5-year-old and 4-month-old daughters nearby, an East Patchogue mother scuffled Saturday with a Suffolk police officer trying to seize crack pipes and hypodermic needles in her kitchen, Suffolk police said in announcing the woman's arrest on numerous criminal charges." Apparently she "jumped on his back and tried to deter him from taking possession." more ›

It's not quite '80s Manhattan, but the Club Animals troupe are tapping in to the vibe of old, drug-laden New York by bringing a crack rock delivery service to your front door. Okay, so maybe furry animals delivering candy is aiming more towards the Disneyfication of the city. Here's what they have to say for themselves: "we are personally delivering a 100% sugar crack rock (multi-colored and multi-flavored with snow cone syrup) to your Brooklyn house on demand. Expect a 7-foot tall man in a plush, blue mascot head, white gloves and a tuxedo to come knocking soon after you call or text for delivery. You can purchase a few candy crack rocks for $1 a pop in a 1" x 1" crack bag." Seems innocent, if not a bit creepy (this is the same man who gives bouncy rides in the subway). But wait! The closing sentence declares: "Can't say too much here because y'know it's drugs." Follow the link if you wanna take your chances. See you on Dateline! more ›

A New York Police sergeant admitted yesterday that he illegally used a city police computer to get registration information on two cars as a favor for a Long Island crack dealer. The cars were being used by DEA agents for surveillance on the dealer, Frank Wilson, who gave sergeant Roosevelt Green a pair of sneakers worth $20 and a discount on several other pairs in exchange for the information. Green, an 11-year police veteran, confessed to the misconduct and lying to DEA investigators when they questioned him about his relationship with Wilson. But Green's lawyer insists his client was unaware that Wilson was a drug dealer, telling Newsday that Wilson said he wanted the car ownership information because he suspected robbers were following him. Fortunately, the ownership information was false, to prevent the cars from being traced back to law enforcement. Green faces up to 5 years in prison and has agreed to quit the city police force. It's unclear if he gets to keep the sneakers. more ›

The Post rounds out more facets of the Saturday afternoon murder of a 63-year-old man in his West 71st Street apartment. While Walter Walker's roommate Frederick Zappulla confessed, the Post reports that the violence was precipitated when Walker "confronted him about smoking crack in the apartment...The two roommates argued in the kitchen, where Zappulla smashed Walker over the head with a frying pan and then reached for a knife and repeatedly stabbed him." Zappulla called his brother to say he killed Walker and then left for the Yonkers Raceway, where "he began blathering to an EMS technician who eventually persuaded him to talk to Yonkers police." Walker, who operated a cleaning service, had rented out the room to Zappulla in February; a former roommate told the Post that Walker suffered from Parkinson's Disease, "I warned Walter [Zappulla] was no good. I thought he would stiff Walter for the rent." Update: The West Side Spirit reports, "Zappulla was Walker’s romantic partner, according to interviews with residents of the West 71st Street building. The two had lived in Walker’s one-bedroom apartment for more than a year." more ›

Following her Sunday night arrest, Tatum O'Neal held her head high yesterday upon her release from the 7th Precinct, where she spent the night. The actress was busted buying crack and cocaine on Clinton Street, not far from her apartment in The Forward building, around 7:30 p.m. Not even a full 24-hours later she quickly came clean to The NY Post, thanked the cops for saving her, and is even trying to help the guy who sold her the drugs, Alan Garcia. more ›

Actress Tatum O'Neal hasn't kept her battles with addiction a secret, but just when things in her life seem to be on the straight and narrow, the NY Post is reporting she got busted buying crack and cocaine on the Lower East Side. Seems the neighborhood still has its drug roots, the addicts just have Oscars on their mantles now. more ›

In a decision that sets a new standard for what constitutes a legal search by police, as well as serving to remind why doing crack is a terrible idea, The New York Court of Appeals ruled that "reasonableness" should remain the touchstone for searches in order to not violate the 4th Amendment protection against unreasonable search and seizure. Defining reasonableness was the basis of the case in question, which involved the searches of body cavities. The NY Times summarizes:

The case before the court involved Azim Hall of New York, who was arrested on Feb. 8, 2005, on charges that he sold two pieces of crack cocaine outside a grocery store. After his conviction, Mr. Hall filed an appeal, arguing that the police had conducted an illegal search by pulling a string, attached to a plastic bag containing crack cocaine, that was dangling from his rectum. A State Supreme Court judge dismissed the indictment, but the Appellate Division reversed that.

Approximately 85 undocumented workers are being fired from the high-end grocery delivery company Fresh Direct on the on the eve of the holiday season because their status as U.S. residents is disputed. Dozens of workers filed out of the company's Queens warehouse. Fresh Direct blamed a federal probe for the axing of almost a hundred workers. According to the Daily News, "management insisted it carried out the purge under pressure from federal authorities to crack... more ›

Mayor Bloomberg, our very own billionaire mayor, is asking state lawmakers to keep the sales tax at 8.375%. Apparently the sales tax, per "Rules dating back to the city's fiscal crisis of the 1970s" (thanks for the history lesson, NY Sun!), would have dropped 1 percentage point to 7.375% on July 1, 2008, but Bloomberg wants to keep it at its current level. That extra 1 percent tax means about $1 billion in revenue for... more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: shots fired on 166th St. and the Grand Concourse in the Bronx, a pedestrian struck at Berry St. and Division Ave. in Brooklyn, and a found body on Richmond Valley and Arthur Kill on Staten Island.
• Still searching for the Staten Island ninja burglar, police questioned New York Post photographer Ron Romano because of his ninja-like ability to tightrope walk.
• A huge hole in the middle of Brooklyn's Pacific Street provides rude awakenings for drivers who don't see it.
• Mark it. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly says he has no intention of running for Mayor.
• The City of New York was found liable for the 2004 mauling of a toddler in the Bronx, because a police officer gave a pit bull to a mother who had never handled the dog before.
• The loudest neighborhoods in NYC, based on the number of noise complaints. The Bronx is blasting.
• With two weeks to go before Christmas, customers are lining up day and night to get a hand on a Nintendo Wii game system.
• Brooklyn District Attorney Charles J. Hynes describes the sub-premium mortgage meltdown as equivalent to the crack epidemic of the 1980s.
• And w00t is Merriam-Webster's word of the year.

The New York Post profiles a West Village man who's taken to vandalizing cars with incessant anti-theft alarms. Harry Schroder is a retired art director who likes to spend his afternoons practicing the piano in his home on Charlton St. Occasionally, however, he is interrupted by a car alarm. If it goes on long enough, Schroder leaves the car's owner a note in black magic market on an 18-inch by 24-inch posterboard which he sticks... more ›