More than $10 million worth of heroin, fentanyl and cocaine, along with guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition were seized during a massive drug bust at an abandoned Queens home.
A contractor hired to renovate a home stumbled upon a staggering $11 million worth of drugs and a stockpile of firearms and ammunition inside an abandoned building. The unnamed construction contractor was tasked with refurbishing a home in Bellrose in the New York City borough of Queens, which was secretly housing millions in heroin, fentanyl, cocaine and deadly weapons. The drugs were initially found in May, with officials on Wednesday (November 1) announcing the arrest of Victor Rodriguez, 43. The stunned contractor found the drugs soon after taking on the job, immediately reporting it to 911 and filing a report with the borough’s 105th precinct.
Shortly after the contractor left, surveillance footage captured a suspect sprinting to and from the abandoned home carrying two coolers. Investigators said on Wednesday that they determined the coolers were packed with 15 kilos – around 33lbs – of drugs. Police allege the man in the video is Rodriguez, accusing him of masterminding a scheme to distribute the millions in narcotics across the Big Apple. Rodriguez was arraigned on Friday and faces 112-charges of conspiracy, criminal possession of a controlled substance, criminal use of drug paraphernalia, criminal possession of a weapon and unlawful possession of pistol ammunition.
If convicted, the 43-year-old faces a sentence of 25 years to life in prison. The slew of drugs seized from the Queens property included almost one-and-a-half million glassine envelopes filled with heroin or fentanyl, which officials estimate has a street value of roughly $10 million. Eight kilos – or 17lbs – of heroin, fentanyl and cocaine were also found in the home with a street value of $500,000.
