The New York City Police Department (NYPD) announced on the 28th that it seized 586 pounds of cocaine from a warehouse facility in Long Island City (LIC), Queens. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tish stated at a press conference that day, “This is the largest amount of cocaine seized in the last 10 years,” adding that “it was intercepted on-site just before it could enter illegal distribution networks while still in boxes.” According to prosecutors, the market value of the seized cocaine amounts to a staggering $10 million. Prosecutors believe it is highly likely that the drug was mixed with fentanyl, a deadly opioid, before being distributed to the market. The NYPD arrested Nelson Salcedo (35), a resident of Englewood, New Jersey, on charges of transporting and possessing drugs at the scene and charged him with first-degree and third-degree felony drug possession.
The investigation began last June when NYPD detectives and the New Jersey branch of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) jointly investigated a drug distribution network in the upper Manhattan area. Previously, on the 12th, the DEA secured $170,000 in cash, one firearm, and 33 pounds of cocaine during a search of the Fort Lee area in New Jersey. Subsequently, the investigation team confirmed that Salcedo was delivering brown boxes to another person near the northern part of Central Park in Manhattan on Wednesday evenings for two consecutive weeks. Investigators tracked a silver Nissan van registered under the name of an elevator repair company, driven by Salcedo, and arrived at a storage facility in Long Island City. Police raided the scene where Salcedo was loading 12 boxes into the van and placing 7 more boxes on the ground and arrested him. Authorities, having confirmed the reaction of the drug sniffer dogs, obtained a search warrant and opened the box, discovering over 230 cocaines packaged in brick shapes inside.