$2M Worth Of Heroin, Fentanyl Seized In NYC Bust

NEW YORK CITY — A bust on a suspected large-scale heroin packaging mill in the Bronx yielded $2 million worth of drugs, authorities said.

The haul seized from two Valentine Avenue apartments included more than 30 pounds of heroin and fentanyl and $60,000 in cash, according to a release.

Five people face criminal charges after the Tuesday bust conducted by the DEA and the city’s Special Narcotics Prosecutor’s Office’s (SNP) Investigators Unit.

“This investigation uncovered an opioid den in the heart of the Bronx,” said Ray Donovan, DEA special agent in charge, in a statement. “As opioid overdose deaths continue to threaten lives, law enforcement continues to weed out those responsible for opioid distribution. This organization had the capability and reach to supply heroin and fentanyl throughout the five boroughs and Northeast.”

Investigators conducted surveillance at 2030 Valentine Ave., where they spotted a suspect named Yeuris Arias, 31, in a stairwell, according to a release. They searched Arias’s apartment and found roughly 60,000 glassine envelopes filled with suspected heroin, $60,000 cash and 69 different stamps with the names such as “Exit 3,” “Versace,” “American Gangster” and “Mortal Kombat,” the release states.

During the search, authorities saw Nolan J. Reynosa Rodriguez, 30, leave another apartment, the release states. Through an open door, they saw a table covered with powder and glassine envelopes, according to the release.

Authorities searched the apartment — where they found Isabel J. Villar, 50, Raymon S. Tavares Urena, 32, and Yuly Arias, 32, along with 11 kilograms of suspected heroin, 500 blue pills of suspected fentanyl and 43,000 glassine envelopes containing suspected heroin, according to the release.

The suspects face charges of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the first and third degrees, and criminally using drug paraphernalia in the second degree, authorities said.