A night shift manger at a McDonald's in the Bronx was arrested this week for allegedly dealing drugs during work hours. Prosecutors claim that Frank Guerrero, 26, used his job as "cover" for selling cocaine and crack cocaine, allegedly handing over drugs to an undercover officer alongside two cheeseburgers, a soda and fries.
The bust was called "Operation Off Menu."
"The conduct was so blatant it would be comical if he weren’t committing a serious narcotics crime," Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget Brennan said. "Ordering coke took on an entirely different meaning on the night shift at this McDonald’s."
The 24-hour McDonald's at 1600 Bruckner Boulevard only accepts drive-thru orders during the night-shift, but authorities say that Guerrero allowed drug customers to come into the restaurant. According to the Special Narcotics Prosecutor's officer, "On two occasions, Gurrero conducted drug sales to an undercover officer over the restaurant counter. Guerrero allegedly concealed cocaine within a cookie bag, which he placed inside a larger McDonald’s order containing two cheeseburgers, a soda and fries. Other McDonald’s employees were working at the restaurant at the time."
The undercover officer made increasingly larger buys, and on September 22nd, Guerrero allegedly sold him $6,250 of drugs (100 grams of cocaine and a quantity of crack cocaine) in the bathroom, which he "retrieved from a soap dispenser." The undercover officer "then took a seat at a booth in the dining room, where Guerrero served the undercover a bag of food," officials said.
Early Tuesday morning, police arrested Guerrero at the McDonald's as he was finishing his shift and then searched his home in the Pelham section of the Bronx. They found 200 grams of cocaine and, in a dresser located in a child's playroom, $5,300 cash. A woman, Leidy Cabral Castillo, and her two-year-old child were in the apartment at the time and Cabral Castillo was also arrested, and charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, criminally using drug paraphernalia and unlawfully dealing with a child.
Guerrero was charged with criminal sale of a controlled substance, criminal possession of a controlled substance, criminally using drug paraphernalia and unlawfully dealing with a child.
