Drug and weapon bust made at a popular New York City Park in Queens
JAMAICA, Queens (PIX11) -- More than a million dollars worth of cocaine, fentanyl, ecstasy, opioids, other drugs, and guns were seized after a year-and-a-half-long investigation, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced on Tuesday.
Katz’s office and NYPD detectives worked together to arrest eight members of a drug and weapons ring behind the illegal sales of the items.
Most of the drug and gun sales took place in Rufus King Park; prosecutors said, a popular park in Queens with children and families.
Families who spoke with PIX11 News said they were pleased to learn about the takedown and welcomed more raids.
"They don't care about the safety of kids, none of that," Dwayne Williams said, a father to a seven-month-old baby girl. "It's all about the almighty dollar."
The operation was apparently big business for the people involved, said the D.A., adding the men arrested had a fully operational supply and distribution scheme.
Seven of the eight men are from two different families: the Fernandezes, and the Escobars, according to Katz.
"The ringleader, Adrian Escobar, faces 150 years in jail" if convicted, Katz said in an interview.
Her office has charged Adrian Escobar with more than 70 criminal counts for controlled substances, conspiracy, weapons possession and sales, and grand larceny.
Those charges, prosecutors said, stem from Escobar and the members of his group processing drugs in their homes in Brooklyn, Nassau County, and Jamaica, Queens, and then selling the illicit materials in Rufus King Park.
The men also kept guns at home. Then they also started selling those in the park, according to detectives.
The investigators' leader, NYPD Deputy Chief Jerry O'Sullivan, said that one of the nine guns seized, a .357 Magnum, was stolen, and stored in the studio apartment, which at least four suspects shared.
"That long-barreled gun that's there," said O'Sullivan, referring to the revolver, "that's a high-powered weapon. [If] somebody accidentally pulled the trigger, it would have gone into the apartment next door, possibly."
The investigation involved wiretaps and a lot of undercover work by cops, said Queens D.A. and the deputy chief, adding that their efforts are meant to keep residents safe.
Some residents, however, said that while they appreciated the takedown, they were also somewhat skeptical.
"Just because they made one bust right here, that don't mean it's gonna stop," said Ty Anthony, a Jamaica resident who spoke with PIX11 News.
"It can slow it down, but I don't think it's going to stop it," said Alicia Robinson, who lives near Rufus King Park.
District Attorney Katz said that any time an investigation and raid are carried out, her office sees a reduction in related crimes, at least for a time. She also stated her office is engaged in an ongoing effort to keep criminal activity minimal.
"The more we do these investigations, and the more we take [drugs and guns] off the street, the safer the streets are," D.A. Katz said. "It doesn't mean we stop. We keep doing it day after day, time after time."