26-plus pounds of cocaine, $3 million cash seized in Bronx drug bust
NORWOOD, The Bronx (WABC) -- Investigators seized more than 26 pounds of cocaine and $3 million in cash from a Bronx apartment outfitted with secret trap door compartments, authorities said Friday.
The seizure was part of an investigation into a major drug distributor operating out of the Norwood section where cocaine and money were concealed inside several pieces of furniture.
Juan Rondon, 60, is charged with operating as a major trafficker and criminal possession of a controlled substance. He is being held without bail. He had previously been deported from the United States in 2006.
"This investigation shows how lucrative the cocaine trafficking business can be. Over a span of years, an accused major trafficker apparently squirreled away more than $3 million, filling secret compartments inside furniture to the brim with bundles of cash wrapped together in rubber bands, expensive watches, and kilograms of cocaine," special narcotics prosecutor Bridget Brennan said.
Rondon's arrest followed a two-month investigation. According to charging documents, Rondon was arrested with cocaine and the keys to a Bronx apartment that contained several pieces of furniture outfitted with secret trap compartments, including dressers, nightstands and a coffee table. Money was wrapped in bundles and labeled with dates spanning several years.
The coffee table allegedly contained approximately 12 kilograms of cocaine and some of the cash. At least 10 luxury watches, including those made by Rolex and Cartier, were recovered from a hidden trap in a nightstand.
"A multi-million-dollar drug den looked like any ordinary apartment until our agents and investigators uncovered hidden compartments in various pieces of furniture filled with contraband," DEA's Frank Tarentino said.
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