Cops Raid $30 Million Westchester-Bronx Heroin Ring

By ALFRED BRANCH (Patch Staff)

More than 60 pounds of heroin was seized by authorities over the weekend of Sept. 26 in separate but related raids in the Bronx and Yonkers, which led to arrests of two suspects.

$50,000 in cash also was discovered hidden in the walls and floor of the Bronx location, which also contained several pounds of heroin. Additional heroin was found hidden in secret storage compartments in a Jeep Cherokee and in a storage locker in Yonkers.

The value of the seized heroin was $30 million, according to drug enforcement authorities.

Arrested on charges of illegal possession of a controlled substance were Ramon Rivas and Jose Rodriguez.

DEA Special Agent in Charge James J. Hunt said in a statement that one third of DEA seizures in the U.S. have taken place in the New York district.

Hunt said, “Heroin is like a monster in a horror movie, just when you think it is gone, it reemerges with a vengeance. This massive load of heroin ... is a reminder that heroin trafficking organizations are targeting NYC for retail distribution and transshipments throughout the Eastern Seaboard.”

On May 17, the DEA seized 154 pounds of heroin in the north Bronx — the largest bust in the state in the agency’s history, according to the Riverdale Press.

PHOTO/DEA