Drug task force seizes 90 pounds of fentanyl from three separate Manhattan and Bronx narcotics mills

New York City Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget Brennan announced a massive fentanyl mill bust, spanning three separate locations across two boroughs and capturing 90 pounds of the deadly narcotic.

Credit: Special Narcotics Prosecutor’s Office

Police, in partnership with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) shut down on Wednesday three large fentanyl operations in the Bronx and Manhattan, less than three miles from each other, seizing a total of 90 pounds of fentanyl worth around $7.5 million, according to the Special Narcotics Prosecutor’s Office.

The three locations were alleged packaging mills where pressed bricks of fentanyl powder and substances often cut with the narcotic were weighed and packaged in small translucent envelopes, often stamped with brands for street sales.

Law enforcement officials carried out the raids within hours of each other and levied charges against eight individuals, but said that the mills appear to be operating independently of one another.

“These individuals thought they could turn our communities into a full-scale fentanyl packaging mill, churning out drugs with a callous disregard for human life,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch. “Because of the work of the NYPD, and our other partners on the DEA Task Force, we found these locations, seized nearly 90 pounds of dangerous fentanyl, and shut down these lethal operations.”

At the first alleged mill on Selwyn Avenue in the Bronx, next to Claremont Park, the NYPD Task Force Group (NYTFD) seized 25 kilograms or over 55 pounds of fentanyl and xylazine, commonly known as “tranq” along with thousands of packaged narcotics stamped with brands like “War Zone” and the word “Taliban” underneath a picture of an assault rifle, ready for street sale.

Washington Heights resident, 38-year-old Leocadio Nunez-Olivares was charged in connection with the first packaging mill for Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the First and Third Degrees, and Criminally Using Drug Paraphernalia in the Second Degree.

The second alleged mill raided in the Bronx, police said, was a block away from the Bronx Zoo on Prospect Avenue and down the street from an elementary school and a high school. NYTFD seized 7.5 kilograms or over 16 pounds of fentanyl and $20,000 cash.

When NYTFD approached the apartment unit K9 officer “Mulk” began exhibiting signs of fentanyl exposure after alerting officers to the presence of the narcotic. The dog was successfully treated with Narcan to avoid an overdose.

Inside, agents found an active packaging operation with three men, and further investigation recovered an additional 6 kilograms of fentanyl. In total four men were charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the First and Third Degrees in connection with the second location: 38-year-old Hector Tavarez, 25-year-old Jose Hidalgo, 72-year-old Hector Tavarez Negrin and 31-year-old Neriy Vlerio.

Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark said that taking such a large volume of narcotics off the street will keep Bronx families safer.

“Too many families have lost a loved one from this terrible scourge of drug addiction,” Clark said. “It is incalculable, the number of people that 90 pounds of fentanyl could harm. These drug traffickers do not care about human life, which is why we must continue to root them out. One of the drug mills was a couple blocks away from two of the Bronx’s gems—the Bronx Zoo and Arthur Avenue.”

The last alleged packaging mill was found in Washington Heights on West 183rd Street where agents found around 10 kilograms or 22 pounds of fentanyl and arrested 50-year-old Gerardo Rivera, 29-year-old Hilisu Garcia and 20-year-old Samir Tejada Almanzar. 

NYTFD found two loaded guns in a bedroom of the apartment, a .357 revolver and a .9mm Baretta. The three men were charged with  Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the First and Third Degrees, Criminal Possession of a Firearm, and Criminally Using Drug Paraphernalia. Law enforcement added an additional charge of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree to Rivera’s charges. 

New York City’s Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget G. Brennan celebrated the massive bust and reaffirmed the city’s commitment to keeping fentanyl off the streets.

“These arrests and prosecutions send a clear message: New York City will tirelessly track and disrupt fentanyl profiteers who have claimed too many precious lives,” Brennan said. “I thank prosecutors and members of law enforcement who worked around the clock to disrupt these three organizations. I thank Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the New York City Police Department, and the New York State Police for their support and dedication.”