'Drug Superstore and Brothel' Nanuet Hotel to be Padlocked

NANUET, NY — A Nanuet motel that officials said has served as a haven for illegal drug dealing, prostitution and other criminal behavior is targeted for closure by Rockland County District Attorney Thomas P. Zugibe and Rockland County Attorney Thomas E. Humbach, who filed an action Friday to shut it down and fine its operators.

District Attorney Zugibe identified the "notorious" establishment as the Days Inn on Route 59.

“This Days Inn was run not as a motel, but rather as an unabashed drug superstore and brothel, catering to kingpins and street‐level dealers, pimps and prostitutes. Trafficking in drugs and prostitution are crimes against the community, and we must fight them as a community," Zugibe said. "My office welcomed the opportunity to assist County Attorney Humbach in shuttering the Days Inn and to be a part of an inter‐agency team that uses its regulatory powers to rid our neighborhoods of dangerous establishments.”

The 70‐room motel is at 367 West Route 59, Nanuet, New York.

“Working in partnership with District Attorney Zugibe, we have filed this Complaint and will immediately seek a restraining order to padlock the motel until steps are taken to clean up the crime‐riddled facility, which is a known blight on our County," County Attorney Humbach said in the announcement. "We are committed to working with law enforcement and the community in eliminating illicit behavior and unsavory business practices that promote criminal activity. Today, we issue a clear message: businesses that allow drug dealing and other illegal activity to occur on their premises are at risk of being shut down forever.”

In November 2015, Zugibe filed criminal charges against a network of family and friendsled by a Spring Valley man serving lifetime parole for attempted murder, following a five‐month investigation into a large‐scale narcotics trafficking operation located in a guest room at the Days Inn.

The defendants ‐ who ranged in age from 23 to 61 ‐ were charged with selling crack and powdered cocaine and heroin to customers in and around Rockland County. According to the charges, members and associates of the organization conspired to distribute more than $500,000 in illegal drugs each year.

Since then, the Rockland County Drug Task Force, along with local police agencies have made several additional drug‐related arrests at the troubled motor lodge.

As alleged in the Complaint, the Days Inn has been the scene of 26 arrests for prostitution, narcotics and related crimes in the past 12 months.

As a result, Zugibe requested that the County Attorney's Office apply the County’s Public Nuisance Law in an effort to put an end to the problems.

The law permits the County, with permission from a court, to close the motel until there is reason to believe that the illegal activity will not continue. The law also permits the County to seek fines of up to $1,000 per day while violations occur.

Humbach has successfully applied this law on several occasions since 2015, shutting down four massage parlors that acted as fronts for prostitution. Humbach has obtained judgments for fines against the operators that exceed $800,000.

“Illegal activity at this motel has eroded the neighborhood’s quality of life and created an atmosphere in which even more serious crimes could be committed," Humbach said. "This action will force motel management to clean up its act, or its business will disappear.”

It should be noted that an indictment is merely an accusation and that the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

“Thanks to excellent cooperation among the District Attorney, County Attorney and local law enforcement, this public nuisance will be closed, and it won’t be missed," Zugibe said.

SEE ALSO:

• Family, Friends Ran Drug Ring Busted in Nanuet: DA
• Nanuet Days Inn Manager Accused of Sexually Assaulting Guest
• New City Man Shot At Hotel Restaurant In Nanuet