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FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com APRIL 7, 2016 • THE COURIER SUN 11 Queens Village tire shop was synthetic pot factory: cops BY ROBERT POZARYCKI rpozarycki@qns.com/@robbpoz This Queens Village garage was doing much more than fi xing fl ats. Law enforcement agents uncovered a synthetic marijuana (K2) factory inside the Excellent Tire Shop Services on Springfi eld Boulevard on the night of March 29, recovering more than 200 pounds of the dangerous narcotic in the process. One individual was taken into custody at the scene, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Osvaldo Maria Vasquez, 36, of Queens had an outstanding arrest warrant for allegedly participating in a cocaine sale and distribution ring between 2014 and 2015. Prosecutors said on March 31 that the raid was a product of a joint investigation by the DEA’s New York Drug Enforcement Task Force and the FBI. The recovered synthetic marijuana– which U.S. Attorney Robert L. Capers noted are known to have “unpredictably severe and even lethal side effects”– have an estimated street value of at least $200,000. Most of the K2 recovered from the garage had already been packaged for immediate sale. The actual processing facility was concealed in the garage by a tarp; law enforcement agents seized various drug-making and packaging paraphernalia as well as fl avoring The tire shop on Springfi eld Boulevard in Queens Village where synthetic marijuana was allegedly being produced. agents and a large amount of unprocessed synthetic marijuana. “Rearing its ugly head, synthetic cannabinoids were being manufactured and packaged with intentions to be unleashed in our city,” DEA Special Agent-in-Charge James J. Hunt said in a statement. “Due to good police work, a clandestine K2 lab was dismantled in Queens, demolishing the health and the societal dangers caused by K2 use along with it.” “This makeshift synthetic cannabinoid lab … was used to produce Photo via Google Maps this poison in the vicinity of several homes and businesses,” added Police Commissioner Bill Bratton. “I commend the work of the Drug Enforcement Task Force and our FBI partners for seizing this drug before it reached the streets of New York.” Great rates like ours are always in season. 1.30% 24-Month CD APY1 $5,000 minimum deposit 1.11% 9-Month CD APY1 $5,000 minimum deposit To qualify you must open a Flushing Bank Complete Checking Plus account. Get the complete access and control you desire with a competitive interest rate and banking on-the-go with our Flushing Bank Mobile2 app. For more information and to find out about our other great offers, visit your local Flushing Bank branch, call 800.581.2889 or visit www.FlushingBank.com. 1 New money only. APY effective April 4, 2016. Annual percentage yield assumes principal and interest remain on deposit for a full year at current rate. Minimum deposit balance of $5,000 is required. Funds cannot be transferred from an existing Flushing Bank account. Premature withdrawals may be subject to bank and IRS penalties. Rates and offer are subject to change without notice. A new Complete Checking Plus account with a $5,000 minimum initial deposit is required to receive the CD with the advertised rate. Certain fees and restrictions may apply. For new IRA and rollover accounts, the minimum deposit balance is $5,000. A new checking account is not required for IRA accounts. Speak with a Flushing Bank representative for more details. 2 Flushing Bank Mobile Banking is available to all Flushing Bank online banking users. Flushing Bank is a registered trademark


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