May 8, 2017 By Jason Cohen
Drug enforcement officials busted a man in Jackson Heights Wednesday who possessed more that $2 million of cocaine, much of it concealed as wrapped candy.
Juan Pablo Martinez, a Jackson Heights resident, was caught with five kilograms of cocaine (12 lbs.), the majority of which was found in two hot-sealed bags where the cocaine was wrapped like pieces of candy, authorities said.
Martinez arrest was made in connection to an ongoing drug investigation by the New York Drug Enforcement Task Force (DETF) Group T-41.
The task force was monitoring the corner of 77th Street and Northern Boulevard in Jackson Heights Wednesday, when they saw Martinez exit 32-26 82nd Street at about 6 pm carrying a weighted black backpack.
Agents and officers followed Martinez as he climbed onto a bicycle and rode to a gas station located at 76-11 Northern Blvd., where he approached the driver of a grey Acura.
Police officers watched him place the backpack into the rear seat of the vehicle and pump the car with gas. Martinez then removed the backpack.
The police then moved in on Martinez who showed them what appeared to be a piece of candy that he pulled out of the backpack. However, upon examination, the police observed that the candy wrappers contained cocaine. Agents seized two kilograms of cocaine and placed him under arrest.
Immediately afterward, police searched Martinez’s residence, a basement apartment located at 3226 82nd Street, and recovered two more kilograms of cocaine packaged as candy, a kilogram of powdered cocaine, a kilo press, drug ledgers and $12,000 cash.
9 Comments
All these cocaine busts are going to do is raise prices and downgrade quality causing more harm than good in the long run. What they need to focus on are the drug laws currently in place. These drug laws are not in favor of the Latino or African American population. These laws give millions of Latino and AA youths a criminal record, decreasing their chances and motivation of finding a decent paying job, forcing them back into selling drugs.
Sure, you can argue it’s a bad presence in the neighborhood but arresting one guy, or even a dozen guys isn’t going to put a dent in the drug business! Taking out one head causes two to be born!
Democrats don’t seem to mind these are there voting constituents!
Let’s get it
Getting worse? Its been like this since 1980
Finally some one is paying attention to remove this piece of garbage from our streets
Well that explains why my Jimmy was so wound-up today
gee jackson heights is getting worse and worse –
I agree a bit. But Long Island is taking the herione and gang game.
The war on drugs is a waste! Why must the government and police control what we put in our bodies? We’re free to read books to fill our mind, worship religions to fill our heart so why must the gov’t step in when we want to fill our bodies?