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Photos: 53 Pounds Of Heroin, Assault Rifles Seized From Bronx Drug Ring
By
Christopher Robbins
Published May 19, 2014
Modified May 19, 2014
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published May 19, 2014
Modified May 19, 2014
Share
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Two alleged members of a Bronx heroin ring were arrested on Friday as they allegedly attempted to sell the drug in Hartford, Connecticut, where its street value is nearly double that of New York City. According to a release from the Special Narcotics Prosector's Office [PDF], investigators from the NYPD, DEA, and State Police seized 53 pounds of heroin, 20 pounds of cocaine, two assault rifles, and $85,000 cash from two different apartments and a storage unit in the Bronx.
On Friday, authorities say they witnessed 32-year-old Guillermo Esteban Margarin and 28-year-old Edualin Tapia leave a heroin mill on Orloff Avenue in Kingsbridge in a Jeep Cherokee and an Acura RDX. Investigators followed them to a low-rise house in Hartford and when they entered, found the men "preparing to dump a white substance down the drain."
Margarin and Tapia are both charged with first degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and conspiracy.
“These seizures and arrests demonstrate that NYC is Ground Zero of heroin distribution networks supplying the Northeast, as well as being the prime market Mexican drug traffickers are using to earn profit from the sale of poison," James Hunt, the DEA acting special agent in charge, says in a release.
Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget Brennan added, “These arrests cut a pipeline moving huge amounts of heroin from New York City to the Northeast." It was the biggest heroin bust in NYC so far this year.
Tagged
bronx
connecticut
heroin
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
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