5 charged with murder in botched Mount Vernon robbery: officials
MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. (PIX11) – It was an illegal weed wholesale operation open to the public in Mount Vernon, with workers guarding the register with an AR-15, according to court documents.
Leading up to their arrests, an informant told investigators the would-be robbery suspects planned to pull off a multi-million-dollar heist.
The new details came from federal investigators who shed light on the Tuesday morning gun battle at the alleged Mount Vernon drug den. Two men were murdered: an employee and a reported member of the robbery crew.
By Wednesday night, five people were in federal custody in connection to the botched armed robbery.
"In less than 24 hours, we’ve been able to bring some more light with this investigation," Mount Vernon Mayor Shawn Patterson-Howard said.
With one still on the run, the five other suspects were tracked down through video surveillance to a Bronx apartment complex along Clinton Avenue, according to federal prosecutors.
Members of the FBI and Mount Vernon police moved in near Fordham University Tuesday, arresting the men and towing the alleged getaway van.
Thursday afternoon, crime scene workers hauled out evidence from the warehouse on South Fifth Ave.
"The products range from products you would find in a smoke shop," Mount Vernon Police Chief Marcel Olifiers said.
An informant allegedly told the feds the group expected to rob the warehouse of $8 million and 6 kilograms of cocaine.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the wholesaler had been selling unlicensed pot and nicotine to the public.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochal has been on a crusade to stop such sales statewide.
"Let's start having some teeth. They can appeal their fines. They can appeal their closure. Everybody gets due process. But while that plays out in the courts, they would be shuttered and out of business," Hochul said last month.
Each of the suspects arrested is facing at least four federal charges, including murder with a gun while drug trafficking. It carries a maximum sentence of the death penalty or life in prison.