Largest Quantity Of Opioids Seized In Suffolk County History: DA

WYANDANCH, NY — History was made Wednesday as the single largest quantity of opioids ever seized in Suffolk County were netted in a Wyandanch bust, Suffolk District Attorney Tim Sini said.

More than 41 kilograms of "alleged opioids," including heroin and fentanyl, were seized, as well as $80,000 in cash, after a search warrant was executed, according to Sini, special agent in charge James J. Hunt of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s New York division, and representatives from the DEA’s New York drug enforcement task force.

“To put this in perspective, if you take the powder that was seized — 34 packages grossing over 41 kilograms in weight — you’re talking well over one million doses of opioids on the street, and that’s assuming that the product is not cut again,” Sini said. “That’s one million doses of a highly lethal drug that will never hit the streets of Suffolk County thanks to the hard work of the DEA and its task force. The number of lives that were potentially saved by this operation is tremendous.”

Agents from Group T-42 of the NYDETF, which includes representatives from the DEA, the New York City Police Department and the New York State Police, received word that a drug transaction was slated to take place in the area of the 300 block of Merritt Avenue in Wyandanch, Sini said.

William Velasquez, 38, of Wyandanch, was seen talking on a cell phone at the location — and as the agents approached, he tried to flee, Sini said. Agents apprehended Velasquez and recovered one kilogram of alleged heroin from his coat pocket; the substance also tested positive for fentanyl, according to the DEA.

After Velasquez’s arrest, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office issued a search warrant for his home, located on Garden City Avenue in Wyandanch, as well as his vehicle, authorities said.

“In his home, law enforcement seized what appears to be the largest single seizure of opioids in Suffolk County,” Sini said. “That included 33 separately wrapped packages of powder, grossing 41 kilograms in weight.”

Velasquez was arrested and charged with one count of operating as a major trafficker, a class A-1 felony, which carries a maximum indeterminate sentence of 25 years to life in prison, Sini said. He was also charged with one count of first degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a class A-1 felony, Sini said.

He was arraigned in Suffolk County court in Central Islip Thursday; bail was set at $2.5 million cash or $5 million bond by Judge Gaetan Lozito at the arraignment, Sini said. Velasquez is being represented by the Legal Aid Society.

Hunt spoke out on the bust. “This amount of heroin is as lethal as a weapon of mass destruction," he said. 'The DEA is committed to saving lives and by seizing 41 kilograms, we have taken over a million doses of death out of users’ reach."

One of the kilograms seized from the residence tested positive for fentanyl, according to the DEA.

Also inside the home were two duffel bags containing 19 packages and 13 packages respectively of the opioids, Sini said.

Recovered, too, were one kilogram of alleged opioids in the closet of the residence and several kilograms of pills that appeared to be Oxycodone; lab results for the pills are pending, Sini said.

In the trunk of Velasquez's car, law enforcement officials also found approximately half a kilogram of pills — the car also contained two traps, which are commonly used by drug dealers to conceal drugs in their vehicles, Sini explained.

“We’ve seen the scourge of the opioid epidemic and the harm it has caused our communities,” Sini said. “We obviously need to be investing in prevention, treatment, recovery and innovative law enforcement, but seizing this lethal substance from our street is the quickest way we can save lives.”

Sini had a warning for dealers; “Our message is consistent: If you’re selling drugs in Suffolk County, we are coming for you.”

Suffolk County Police Department and the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor for the City of New York also assisted in the operation. This case is being prosecuted by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office’s Enhanced Prosecution Bureau.

Patch file photo.