Nearly 20 pounds of heroin and methamphetamine were seized last month in the Bronx and Queens, according to NYC Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget Brennan and NY State Police Superintendent Joseph D'Amico. It's believed that the four kilos (about nine pounds) of meth was produced in a Mexican megalab.
The meth has a street value of $960,000, while the four-and-half kilos of heroin is worth over a million. According to the authorities, the NY Sate Police Special Investigations Unit observed three men handing off three kilos of heroin (including "black tar" heroin) in the Bronx on April 9. Then the police busted the house the trio had left—a stash house in Corona Queens, where they found "a dresser with a hidden compartment containing the remaining 1.5 kilograms of heroin (over 3 lbs.) and the 4 kilos methamphetamine, as well as a 9 mm handgun and a loaded magazine clip," plus "a ledger discussing “ice” transactions, $2,000 that had been hidden inside a vent, and equipment for packaging narcotics, including masks, grinders, a kilo-press and a scale."
Miguel Mercado-Guelen (who was deported in 2003), Henry Nunez and Diego Estevez all face drug and conspiracy charges. Brennan said, "This seizure is typical of a pattern that we’ve seen developing in our narcotics investigations across the city. Methamphetamine is a homegrown product for Mexican cartels. Clearly they are trying to promote the use and addiction to crystal meth here in New York City. The city Health Department data reflects a dangerous escalation in related hospitalizations. This case affirms our commitment with the New York State Police and our other law enforcement partners to curtail the distribution of this extremely dangerous drug."
