10 FEBRUARY 18, 2021 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Police task force busts suspected Ridgewood
heroin mill home to $12 million worth of drugs
BY JACOB KAYE
JKAYE@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
Law enforcement officials
busted a major heroin mill
in Ridgewood earlier this
week, the office of New
York City’s Special Narcotics
Prosecutor announced
on Wednesday, Feb. 10.
The Ridgewood home
was found to have around
39 kilograms of suspected
heroin, 1,000 pills of fentanyl
and $200,000 in cash
inside when a law enforcement
team comprised of
DEA special agents, NYPD
detectives and New York
State Police investigators
made their way inside on
Monday, Feb. 8. The drugs
inside the apartment are
believed to be worth around
$12 million, according to
prosecutors.
Four Queens residents
were arrested in connection
with the stash house,
located at 63-16 Forest Ave.,
including Luis Martinez,
who law enforcement officials
believe to be the leader
of the operation.
Martinez, 48, was
charged with operating as
a major trafficker, criminal
possession of a controlled
substance and criminally
using drug paraphernalia
after he was nabbed by
members of the New York
Drug Enforcement Task
Force as he walked out of
the apartment building on
Monday.
Already conducting
surveillance on the alleged
heroin mill, officers spotted
Martinez leaving the
building with a backpack
around 4 p.m., according to
the authorities.
Officers stopped Martinez
and searched his bag,
finding around $200,000 in
cash, keys to the apartment
and four cellphones inside,
law enforcement officials
said. Officers then made
their way to the apartment
and knocked on the door.
Sofia Medina, 50, answered
the door and officers
made their way inside,
spotting a host of drug paraphernalia
as they made their
way through the apartment,
according to prosecutors.
Officers also found two
women, Maria Altagracia
Berroa, 54, and Jacqueline
Sosa De Espinal, 43, hiding
inside the bathroom with
the lights off.
One of the apartments
bedrooms appeared to be
designated for packaging
heroin — inside were over
two dozen brick-shaped
packages containing a kilogram
of suspected heroin
each and an additional six
kilograms of loose powder
inside smaller bags, according
to law enforcement
officials.
In addition to the alleged
heroin, officers found 26
cellphones, digital scales,
sif ters, grinders and
around 1,000 blue pills
with markings similar to
pharmaceutically produced
oxycodone, but suspected by
law enforcement to be counterfeits
containing fentanyl,
prosecutors said.
Berroa, De Espinal and
Medina were charged with
criminal possession of a
controlled substance and
criminally using drug
paraphernalia. All four of
the arrested suspects were
arraigned in Manhattan
Criminal Court Wednesday
morning, Feb. 10.
Photo courtesy of the Offi ce of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor for the City of New York
104 PRECINCT BLOTTER
The 104th Precinct released
the following list of persons
arrested in recent police
actions.
The charges are accusations,
and all individuals listed
in this blotter are presumed
innocent unt i l proven
guilty.
For questions about the names
listed in the blotter, contact the
104th Precinct at 718-386-3004.
Feb. 8: (Ridgewood) Adam
Schhiavone, at Troutman Street
and Flushing Avenue, for aggravated
unlicensed operator, by
PO Fitzalbert. (Glendale) Kevin
Duran, at 60th Lane, for assault,
by PO Wong. (Ridgewood)Jefferson
Soria Pelayo, at Catalpa Avenue,
for assault, by Det. Lodato.
(Middle Village) Dariusz Suska. At
Furmanville Avenue, for assault,
by PO Dale.
Feb. 9: (Middle Village) Johansel
Marte-Tejada, at 82nd Street, for
assault, by PO Babayev. (Glendale)
Devonte Jones, at Myrtle Avenue,
for criminal contempt, by PO
Sheehan.
Feb. 10: (Middle Village) Rayquan
Rodriquez, at Metropolitan
Avenue, for burglary, by Det.
Fogus. (Glendale) Juan Mejia, at
Cooper Avenue and 73rd Place, for
aggravated unlicensed operator,
by PO Moise. (Ridgewood) Jonathan
Navedo, at Catalpa Avenue,
for criminal mischief, by Det.
Scrimenti. (Ridgewood) David
Maisonet, at Catalpa Avenue, for
criminal contempt, by Det. Lodato.
(Glendale) Angelo Conigliaro, at
78th Avenue and 83rd Street, for
acting in a manner injurious to a
child, by PO Jimenez. (Maspeth)
Melvin Cintron, at 56th Avenue,
for assault, by PO Petito.
Feb. 11: (Ridgewood) Agnieszka
Rostkowski, at Catalpa Avenue,
for criminal contempt, by PO
O’Connor. (Ridgewood) Esthel
Lugo, at Catalpa Avenue, for acting
in a manner injurious to a child,
by Det. Moon. (Middle Village) Edward
Wagner, at 62nd Avenue, for
assault, by PO Hilton. (Ridgewood)
Joel Hernandez, at Stanhope Street
and Fairview Avenue, for aggravated
contempt, by PO Kardonov.
(Ridgewood) Samuel Pena, at Catalpa
Avenue, for robbery, by PO
Albarn. (Maspeth) Hernan Suarez,
at 56th Avenue and 59th Street, for
aggravated unlicensed operator,
by PO Petito.
Feb. 12: (Middle Village) Cornelia
Petrescu, at 75th Street, for
criminal possession of stolen
property, by PO Bartichek.
Feb. 13: (Ridgewood) Jose
Carpinteyro, at Myrtle Avenue
and Fresh Pond Road, for driving
while under the influence, by PO
Hughes. (Ridgewood) Jimervez
Garnica and Jose Feliciano Rivera,
at Metropolitan Avenue, for criminal
mischief, by PO Candelaria.
(Ridgewood) Brian Mule, at Wyckoff
Avenue, for petty larceny, by
Det. Wright. (Ridgewood) Iris
Obando, at Covert Street and
Wyckoff Avenue, for possession of
a forged instrument, by PO Chowdhury.
(Middle Village) Edgardo
Rubi, at 66th Place, for assault,
by PO Incantalupo. (Ridgewood)
Angelica Rodriguez, at Cornelia
Street, for criminal mischief,
by Det. Bublin. (Middle Village)
Crystal Viera, at 66th Place, for assault,
by PO Incantalupo. (Middle
Village) Alvear Abad and Maritza
Fermin, at 66thh Place, for assault,
by PO Antigua.
Feb. 14: (Ridgewood) Jorge
Ramon, at Metropolitan Avenue,
for criminal mischief, by PO
Fleischman. (Ridgewood) Melynia
Cecilio, at Metropolitan
Avenue, for assault, by PO Viera.
(Ridgewood) Edison Proano, at
Woodbine Street, for assault, by
Det. Wright.
link
/WWW.QNS.COM
link