Police bust large-scale drug operation in Suffolk County, Long Island
Authorities say they recovered enough fentanyl to kill 1.5 million people in Suffolk County
LONG ISLAND, New York (WABC) -- Police on Long Island say they busted a drug operation, that stretched across the east end to the Bronx, that had enough fentanyl to kill 1.5 million people who live in Suffolk County
The massive eight-month drug investigation yielded six different arrests in separate takedowns last week.
Just about every arm of law enforcement was involved, from local police in the communities of Riverhead, Southampton and Southold, to the Suffolk County Police and district attorney, to the NYPD and the feds, because the supply chain was far reaching.
"We believe that these drugs that ended up here on Long Island are coming from the Mexican cartels," said Frank Tarentino of the DEA New York Division.
What they recovered were narcotics, including heroin, cocaine and a trove of pills laced with deadly fentanyl. Plus, at the home of Miguel Torres in Wyandanch, at least three kilos of suspected fentanyl were found.
"That's enough fentanyl to kill all 1.5 million residents of Suffolk County," said Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney.
Torres was found sleeping in his bedroom with a loaded handgun. In fact, police say they seized severalillegal weapons, high-capacity magazines and military-style ammo as well.
"There's always violence associated with drugs, and to argue that it's not, is either a misinformed interpretation, or just plain stupidity," Suffolk County Police Department Commissioner Kevin Catalina.
Investigators tracked the drugs from the Bronx to the suspects in Western Suffolk allegedly dealing from Bay Shore, Lindenhurst, West Islip and Wyandanch. But the drug trade reached all the way out to the east end, with highly addictive pills often billed as oxycodone but laced with fentanyl, and it's being purchased more easily than ever.
"Counterfeit pills can be sold over social media, paid for with cash apps, and delivered straight to your doorstep from the screens to the streets, just one pill can kill," Tarentino said.
So, the East End Task Force is promising to continue its work, with the hope that overdose deaths on Long Island will continue to drop.
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