$1.1 Million In Drugs Seized From Upscale Manhattan Apartment
While a luxury high-rise apartment building in New York City might not be the stereotypical base for a massive drug ring, authorities say they discovered a trove of narcotics upon searching a unit in the upscale Mercedes House building in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan last week.
State law enforcement, working in tandem with the Drug Enforcement Agency, conducted a raid of the apartment on Tuesday and, according to a statement released by federal prosecutors later in the week, found a variety of illegal drugs with a combined street value of more than $1.1 million.
Authorities executed a search warrant at the location following a period of surveillance related to reports of drug activity in the area.
The seized drugs included about 30 pounds of methamphetamine and more than eight pounds of cocaine, all of which had been stashed in a bedroom closet. The Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor for New York City confirmed that nearly $28,000 in cash was also found in a backpack located inside the unit.
Two suspects, 29-year-old Jovanny Salas and 34-year-old Sergio Betancourt Peralta, were arrested in connection with the raid. Both suspects, who reportedly had direct ties with Mexico, are facing multiple charges related to possession of a controlled substance.
As DEA agents detained Salas near an elevator in the building, they reportedly located a wallet and a key to the apartment belonging to Peralta.
Following an arraignment on Wednesday, both suspects were remanded in custody at Rikers Island prison with bond set at between $75,000 and $100,000, according to court records.
Steven G. James, the acting superintendent of the New York State Police, issued a statement asserting that the suspects had “no regard for the dangers they, or this operation, brought to the community.”
38 pounds of meth, cocaine recovered in $1.1M drug bust at posh NYC high-rise https://t.co/PmqaN3rKtd pic.twitter.com/g2hOXIMYYH
— New York Post Metro (@nypmetro) March 15, 2024
DEA Special Agent in Charge Frank Tarentino cited this case as evidence that drug-related investigations can take investigators in some unexpected directions.
“Our investigations take us all over New York City and the world, but this investigation led us to a million-dollar cocaine seizure in Hell’s Kitchen,” he said. “DEA and our law enforcement partners are steadfast in bringing to justice those responsible for pushing illegal drugs onto our streets.”