14 THE QUEENS COURIER • MARCH 1, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Photo via Shutterstock
Feds: Jamaica
man’s fentanyl
sales caused
two fatal ODs
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
rpozarycki@qns.com / @robbpoz
Federal agents arrested a Jamaica
man on Tuesday for allegedly selling
the highly potent and potentially
fatal drug fentanyl out of his home.
Prosecutors said that David
Wickham, 35, sold nearly 100 grams
of fentanyl to an undercover offi -
cer between August and December
2017 — but, in doing so, claimed
that the drug was actually heroin.
According to U.S. Attorney
Richard Donoghue, Wickham represented
fentanyl as heroin “to
buyers on numerous occasions.”
Th rough statements made by witnesses,
federal agents determined
that the fentanyl sales resulted in
two fatal overdoses and one nearly
fatal overdose.
“Fentanyl is a killer, and drug
pushers have been taking advantage
of selling this highly addictive
drug, preying on the vulnerabilities
of people,” Homeland Security
Investigations Special Agent-in-
Charge Angel M. Melendez said.
Federal agents raided Wickham’s
home on the morning of Feb. 27 and
recovered a fi rearm under his bed,
as well as numerous suspected narcotics
and various drug paraphernalia,
including a scale, plastic bags
and hypodermic needles.
Wickham was arraigned later in
the day on charges of conspiring to
distribute narcotics and distributing
narcotics. He faces up to 40 years
behind bars if convicted.
Fentanyl, a synthetic drug, is considered
to be 50 to 100 times more
potent than heroin, according to the
Centers for Disease Control. It’s one
of the many factors in the escalating
opioid crisis across the country;
drug dealers have been known to
mix fentanyl with heroin to deliver
a more potent — yet far more dangerous
— product.
In January, Queens District
Attorney Richard A. Brown reported
that an increase in fentanyl distribution
and use led to more suspected
fatal drug overdoses (172)
than homicides (50) in Queens last
year. Nearly a third of the deadly
overdoses involved fentanyl.
Another LIC hotel will house homeless families
BY ANGELA MATUA
amatua@qns.com / @angelamatua
Th e Fairfi eld Inn in Long Island City
will begin housing homeless families
in March and will be the fi rst hotel in
Queens to prioritize sheltering families
who are from the borough.
Located at 52-34 Van Dam St., it
will be the fourth hotel in the area to
house homeless residents. According to
Department of Homeless Services (DHS)
offi cials, Community Board 2 was notifi
ed of the plan on Feb. 13, one month
before families are expected to move in.
Th e DHS has been heavily criticized previously
for not providing enough notice.
As part of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s
Turning the Tide plan, the city is opening
14 transitional housing facilities, which
includes the Fairfi eld Inn, around the city
to make sure homeless residents can stay
in their home boroughs, schools, jobs and
houses of worship.
Home/Life will be the nonprofi t service
provider at this specifi c location and
will provide services to 154 adult families
at the site. Services will include administration,
case management, housing placement
assistance, health/mental health services
and yoga and nutrition classes.
Th ey will also provide “around-theclock”
security with two offi cers at the
entrance to monitor security cameras and
control building access. A minimum of
four security staff and one supervisor will
also be stationed at the site. A total of
95 security cameras have been installed
throughout the building and across the
site and shelter residents have a 10 p.m.
curfew.
According to DHS offi cials, a phone
line will be available 24/7 for community
residents to address concerns and provide
feedback.
Th ere are currently 262 people from
Community District 2 in shelters around
The city will begin using the Fairfi eld Inn in Long Island City is a transitional housing facility for
homeless families next month.
the city and 758 individuals sheltered
in the district, DHS offi cials said. Th e
three hotels already providing shelter in
the district include Th e Verve Hotel in
Long Island City, which houses homeless
women, the City View Inn, a shelter
for homeless men, and the Best Western
Hotel in Sunnyside, a shelter for homeless
families.
Hotels are expected to be phased out of
the shelter system by the end of 2023 as
part of the mayor’s Turn the Tide plan,
including three in Community District
2. DHS also houses 85 homeless veterans
at the Borden Transitional Housing
Facility.
Photo via Google Maps
“Th is high-quality facility will be
the fi rst of its kind in this Community
District, off ering 154 adult families from
Queens the opportunity to be sheltered
in their home borough, closer to their
support networks and communities they
called home as they get back on their
feet,” said Isaac McGinn, press secretary
for DHS. “Working together with
neighbors and nonprofi t service provider
Home/Life, we’re confi dent that these
families will be warmly welcomed — and
through collaborative support and compassion,
we will make this the best experience
it can be for these individuals as they
get back on their feet.”
Healthy Living Pharmacy to open in Long
Island City’s Queens Plaza neighborhood
Photo via lunalic.com
A new pharmacy will open in Long Island City next month.
BY ANGELA MATUA
amatua@qns.com / @angelamatua
A new 2,021-square-foot pharmacy
will open in Long Island City
early next month on the ground
fl oor of a new luxury rental building.
Healthy Living Pharmacy will
be located at 42-15 Crescent
St. where a 124-unit apartment
building is slated to open. Owned
by Ray Schwartz, the pharmacy is
headed by three pharmacists with
more than 50 years of industry
experience.
In addition to a full-service
pharmacy, the business will also
sell grocery, convenience and confectionery
items and health and
beauty aids as well.
Th e building, dubbed LUNA,
will also include businesses such
as Michael H Nguyen DDS Dental
Care, Strength Lengthen and Tone
Gym and Crescent Barbershop.
It will feature studio, one- and
two-bedroom apartments, a landscaped
rooft op, fi tness center,
lounge and game room.
“World Wide Group and I
shared the same goal of off ering
a unique and holistic residential
experience all within close proximity
to the best the city has to off er,”
Schwartz said. “With thousands of
new housing units becoming available,
and many more being built,
the neighborhood has a need for a
full-time pharmacy to service the
residents who live, work and visit
here every day. It’s really exciting
to be a part of World Wide’s vision
for this community.”