The investigation led to the arrest of 35-year-old Nelson Salcedo of Englewood, New Jersey, who was allegedly caught loading boxes of cocaine into a van at a self-storage facility in Queens. Police say the seizure prevented more than a quarter of a metric ton of cocaine from entering an illegal distribution network.
"Think about the scale of what was intercepted here. More than a quarter of a metric ton of cocaine sitting in boxes and ready to move through an illegal distribution network," NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
According to investigators, officers found approximately 266 one-kilogram packages of cocaine during the bust. The drugs were discovered in boxes inside and outside a gray Nissan van at the storage facility.
Authorities believe the narcotics were routinely transported from the warehouse to the northern end of Central Park under the cover of darkness. Undercover officers allegedly observed Salcedo handing off boxes believed to contain cocaine to another suspect, who remains at large. Two additional men have also been arrested in connection with the alleged scheme.
Investigators say the true impact of the seizure extends far beyond the drugs recovered.
Assistant Chief Michael Baldassano of the NYPD Intelligence and Counterterrorism Bureau said the cocaine's purity significantly increased its potential street value and danger. Officials say the drugs would likely have been mixed with substances such as fentanyl before being sold, increasing both profits and the risk of fatal overdoses.
The investigation remains ongoing as authorities work to identify additional suspects and dismantle the distribution network.
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