Authorities are cracking down on what they described as a million dollar drug and gun trafficking ring in Queens.
Several men were arrested following an investigation that lasted a year and a half, resulting in numerous drug and gun seizures in Brooklyn, Queens and Nassau County.
The arrests stem from longstanding violence and drug sales in and around Rufus King Park in Jamaica.
“This was a major operation, when we raided the homes of the principals, we seized drugs with an estimated street value of $1 million including five pounds of cocaine,” said Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
In addition to the drugs and guns recovered during raids, undercover agents bought cocaine and ecstasy from at least one of the defendants on 40 occasions and bought five handguns, officials said.
Officials say the accused leader of the drug and gun ring, Adrian Escobar, is still on the run and faces up to 150 years behind bars if captured and convicted.
“The NYPD’s fight against the trafficking of illegal guns and illicit narcotics in our city is at the forefront of our public-safety mission,” said NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell. “The defendants in this case showed a callous disregard for human life, and we will never waver in our efforts to hold them – and anyone else who threatens the people we serve – fully accountable.”
