Dozens indicted in fentanyl trafficking probe centered in the Hub
Officials say the year-long investigation uncovered five drug organizations allegedly operating in and around the busy shopping district.
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Thirty-two people were charged Monday in five separate indictments tied to what investigators describe as a large-scale narcotics operation flooding the Hub area of the South Bronx with fentanyl, heroin and other drugs.
Officials say the year-long investigation uncovered five drug organizations allegedly operating in and around the busy shopping district near East 149th Street, Third Avenue and Melrose Avenue, an area prosecutors say had become an open-air drug market.
Investigators recovered approximately 30 pounds of fentanyl, 12 pounds of crystal methamphetamine, a kilo of cocaine, five firearms and roughly $100,000 in cash during the investigation and execution of 12 search warrants between June 9 and 11.
Officials say at least five overdoses occurred in the area during the investigation.
“These defendants allegedly operated in the Hub area, where shoppers, businesses and passersby had to endure flagrant drug dealing at all hours of the day,” Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark said. “The residents should not have to live with such diminished quality of life.”
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the trafficking rings distributed narcotics throughout the Hub, across New York City and into four different states.
According to prosecutors, the organizations were referred to as the “Ghost,” “Prada,” “TikTok,” “Brook,” and “Bugatti” crews. Investigators say dealers used brand names including “Bugatti,” “TikTok,” “Prada” and “Bad Bunny” to market drugs that prosecutors say were so potent that users would “fall down.”
Authorities say the operation traced the narcotics trade from street-level dealers up to suppliers allegedly trafficking kilos of fentanyl. Thousands of glassines of fentanyl were allegedly sold.
According to the Bronx District Attorney’s Office, four alleged suppliers or leaders are charged with operating as a major trafficker, a charge that carries a potential sentence of up to life in prison if convicted.
Twenty-seven defendants were arrested and arraigned between June 9 and 12.
The defendants face various charges, including criminal sale of a controlled substance, criminal possession of a controlled substance and conspiracy.
