Update: Local Police, Feds Arrest Dozens in Major Drug Sweeps

Update at 1:48 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2014: Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore issued the following press release about today’s drug arrests.

Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore announced that “City Sweeper 2” a multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional street level narcotics investigation resulted in the arrests of approximately 33 individuals in the City of White Plains and 50 individuals in the City of New Rochelle. There are arrest warrants outstanding for approximately 20 additional individuals.

The seven-month long investigation by the White Plains Police Department, New Rochelle Police Department, Westchester County Police Department, DEA, FBI and the District Attorney’s office resulted in the charging of a total of 100 individuals for narcotics trafficking. Each of the 100 subjects has, or will be charged upon their arrest with the street-level sales of controlled substances. The majority of the sales involved crack-cocaine, although there were a number of heroin sales made throughout the investigation. There were also several sales of hydrocodone, PCP, morphine and fentanyl.

The purchases ranged in price from $20 to $100.

Indictments were obtained on 39 of the approximately 100 subjects of the investigation, and approximately 29 indictments have been unsealed to date in Westchester County Court, charging those 29 with:

• two counts of Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, class “B” Felonies,
• two counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, class “B” Felonies.

“All levels of law enforcement, federal, county and local, collaboratively working together, coalesced, allowing this multi-faceted investigation to neutralize dozens of street level narcotics dealers. Of those who have been indicted, we intend to vigorously prosecute the individuals among them who have violent criminal histories or are significant dealers without drug problems. However, we will certainly consider our judicial diversion drug treatment program as an alternative for those who have made these drug sales to support a serious drug problem of their own,” said District Attorney Janet DiFiore.

Since November 19th, 2014, in the City of White Plains, the White Plains Police Department has arrested approximately 33 individuals for drug sales. Arrests of at least six more individuals are expected.

On December 3rd in the City of New Rochelle, the New Rochelle Police Department has arrested approximately 50 individuals and expects to arrest approximately 14 more.

Bail was set at various amounts for those charged in Westchester County Court. The other individuals have been in arraigned in the City Courts of New Rochelle and White Plains.

Defendants who have prior felony convictions face a maximum of twelve years in prison. Those without prior convictions face a maximum of nine years in prison.

Assistant District Attorney Tom Luzio, Chief of the Narcotics Bureau, and Assistant District Attorney Kevin Kennedy of the Narcotics Bureau supervised the investigation.

Original story: New Rochelle Police, with help from a host of other law enforcement officers, arrested 50 people on narcotics charges early Wednesday in drug raids at various locations in the city and White Plains.

Before the raid, police obtained warrants for more than 60 people as part of Operation City Sweeper 2, a seven-month-long investigation into narcotics trafficking in the city, according to News 12 Westchester. More arrests could occur in the future.

“The purpose of an operation like this is to make the community safe, free from violence because with narcotics comes gun violence and assaults so these arrests that we’ve effected today will reduce those crimes,” New Rochelle Police Commissioner Patrick Carroll told News 12 Westchester.

Unknown quantities of heroin and a few handguns were seized in the raids, according to The Journal News.

New Rochelle police released the following statement about the arrests:

Earlier this morning investigators from the New Rochelle Police Department, White Plains Police Department, the Westchester County Department of Public Safety, the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, and special agents from the FBI and DEA deployed throughout the City of New Rochelle and some surrounding communities to search for and arrest a large number of individuals identified as having significant involvement in drug trafficking operations in the City.

The effort this morning concludes a seven month long operation conducted by the New Rochelle Police Department’s Special Investigation Unit, assisted by the aforementioned law enforcement agencies, code named City Sweeper 2. In all, the operation identified 64 individuals and secured arrest warrants for all of these individuals on charges ranging from Criminal Possession of a controlled Substance 7th Degree to Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance 3rd Degree, a Class B Felony. Many of the individuals arrested have been and are being arrested on multiple counts and charges. At this time there are 50 in custody and efforts continue to locate the remaining 14 targets. Several more arrests are expected before the operation concludes.

Patch file photo.