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Photos: Day Care Drug Ring Used SpongeBob SquarePants As Coke Mule
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Apr 10, 2014
Modified Apr 10, 2014
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Apr 10, 2014
Modified Apr 10, 2014
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The NYPD, DEA, and New York City's Special Narcotics Prosecutor served up at bitter cup of Justice at Sweet Home day care center this morning, when authorities arrested the leader of a drug ring that allegedly used two Bronx day care centers as fronts for the operation. According to a release from the prosecutor, 45-year-old Juan Valdez arranged for briefcases of money to be transported to San Juan, Puerto Rico, where his connections would then mail packages of cocaine to the licensed day care centers via the U.S. mail, concealing them in seemingly innocuous items like SpongeBob bedding.
Last September, authorities raided several Bronx stash houses, including Fun World Childcare, and found more than a kilo of cocaine, 1,000 oxycodone pills, 150 grams of crack, a loaded handgun and around $180,000 in cash. The release alleges that those arrested in the sting were Valdez's associates, and law enforcement began to close in on Valdez and his circle.
Investigators allege that Valdez smuggled roughly 5 to 10 kilos of cocaine into the city each month (each kilo has an estimated street value of $60,000). On December 3 of last year, U.S. postal inspectors discovered a kilo wrapped in the SpongeBob bedding that was destined for Sweet Home day care at 308 East 184th Street. Roughly $700,000 in drugs and criminal proceeds have been seized in the investigation since August.
Valdez was arrested this morning, along with his alleged co-conspirators, 50-year-old Ada Padilla, and 62-year-old Juan Bernal. Three others were arrested in September.
“These arrests end a brazen conspiracy that pumped narcotics worth millions onto New York City’s streets," Special Prosecutor Bridget Brennan said in the release. "Even after highly publicized arrests in September, the narcotics trafficking continued unabated."
Philip Bartlett, inspector in charge of the USPS, added, "The defendants' use of the day care center to conceal their alleged criminal drug enterprise is despicable. They placed the health and safety of children enrolled at the center in jeopardy."
Day cares are a popular means of funneling drugs and ill-gotten cash.
Tagged
bronx
cocaine
day care centers
war on drugs
original
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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