Two barbershops were busted this week for allegedly selling cocaine to clients along with their cuts, as part of an 18-month wiretap investigation in which undercover cops bought up three pounds of cocaine—totaling $44,660—since March 2012.
Noel Barber Shop & Unisex in the Bronx was the site of a dozen sales. Officers say they bought blow directly from owner Noel Peralta, "who was assisted by individuals he employs as both barbers and narcotics dealers," according to a press release from the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor.
The drugs were apparently stored in the barbershop's back room, or in the bathroom. The goods were sourced from yet another barbershop owner, Jose Cruz, who owns Antonio & Martin Barber Shop in Cypress Hills, Brooklyn. According to the release, undercover officers were sent to Cruz's spot to make a purchase of 250 grams of cocaine for $8,000.
"While at the Brooklyn barbershop for the second sale," the release states, "the undercover also received a haircut." In total, $45,000 of drugs were sold, five dealers were arrested, and one cop has a fresh new do. Not bad?
