"They see me out here all the time doing something, they appreciate what I do," Zeller said.
It's kind of like what NYPD narcotics has done over the last 24 hours. They've taken three illegal guns and 41 drug dealers off the street.
The suspects, police say, have infested the Mariner's Harbor community in Staten Island for years, just like weeds.
"It was random. It was mid-level to low level type of street dealing," Deputy Inspector Robert Hanson said.
More arrests are pending.
Investigators paid more than $50,000 for these bags of cocaine, marijuana and oxycontin. Undercover officers made a total of 270 drugs buys.
The arrests culminate a 10-month investigation called Operation Good Neighbor IV. Police looked at crime trends, and anonymous neighborhood complaints about drug dealers.
"They're so frustrated that their children have to walk people dealing drugs on the street corners," Richmond Co. District Attorney Dan M. Donovan said.
"I think we need to see results in our communities, no matter where we live. And I think it's great, I want to see more of that," resident Amirah Smith said.
It just goes to show that removing a few weeds goes a long way.
"It's good, they get what deserve. They shouldn't be out here doing that," Zeller said.
