Two Bronx men were arrested on narcotics possession charges following an investigation that dismantled a major drug stash location near Yankee Stadium in The Bronx, federal prosecutors said Monday. A court authorized search of a home located at 69 West 164th Street, Apt. 2, in the Concourse section, yielded a combined total of around 2.5 kilograms (over five pounds) of cocaine, ketamine, and MDMA, as well as around 30 pounds of psilocybin mushrooms, over 100 pounds of marijuana, and $85,000 cash, they said.

 

Bridget G. Brennan, NYC’s special narcotics prosecutor, Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark, Christopher Roberts, special agent in charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) NY task force division (NYTFD), NYC Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch, and NYS Police Superintendent Steven G. James announced charges against Eduardo Ramirez Salinas, 40, and Jonathan Franco, 35, following arraignments in Manhattan Criminal Court, late on Thursday, April 30.

Brennan said it was alarming to recover tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of cocaine, ketamine, and other illegal drugs, along with $85,000 cash, in a residential neighborhood a few blocks from Yankee Stadium. “We will continue to work with the Bronx District Attorney and our partners in the DEA’s New York Task Force Division to stem the flow of dangerous drugs into our communities,” she said.

 

A criminal complaint filed by the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor (SNP) initially charges both defendants with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the first and third degrees. Additional charges are anticipated. Bail was set for Franco in the amount of $25,000 cash/$25,000 bond. Salinas was released on supervised release.

 

For her part, Clark said, “I commend my local, state and federal law enforcement partners, and Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget Brennan, for continued vigilance against illegal, dangerous drugs in our community. Five pounds of cocaine, ketamine, and MDMA (Ecstasy) and over 100 pounds of marijuana were intercepted, before very risky combinations of narcotics reached the streets, posing health risks.”

 

The investigation was conducted by the NYTFD’s Group T-43 and the SNP’s investigators unit. NYTFD Group T-43 is comprised of agents and investigators with the DEA’s New York division, the NYPD, and the New York State Police.

Roberts said in part, “This operation, which was carried out in The Bronx, an area frequently exploited by drug traffickers, has disrupted another distribution network responsible for flooding our communities with dangerous narcotics. Every arrest and every operation is a step toward protecting our citizens and holding those poisoning our neighbors accountable. The DEA remains steadfast in its mission to safeguard our communities.”

 

Tisch said the defendants turned a Bronx home into a dangerous drug den, threatened a thriving community with “illegal poison.” She added, “Illegal drug trafficking rings that place New Yorkers at risk have no business in our city. Thanks to our NYPD detectives, along with all our law enforcement partners, this pipeline has been dismantled and those responsible are being held accountable.”

 

Meanwhile, James commended what he said were critical partnerships with other agencies in dismantling the drug operation and stopping the violence associated with it. “These arrests are the result of an ongoing, aggressive strategy to stop illegal drug distribution throughout New York State,” he said thanking his colleagues and partners in law enforcement.

The court heard that at around 9:15 a.m. on Thursday, April 30, agents and investigators entered 69 West 164th Street, Apt. 2, a three-bedroom duplex within a split family home. Prosecutors said both defendants allegedly live at the location and were home at the time of the court authorized search. They said Franco was on the ground level of the home, while Ramirez Salinas was in an upstairs bedroom.

 

They said agents and investigators discovered a large stash of drugs in an upstairs room that Franco allegedly used as an office and that large quantities of psilocybin mushrooms and marijuana were allegedly out in the open. They said a metal crate in the upstairs hallway near the bedrooms contained large quantities of marijuana, including bulk quantities in clear bags and numerous individual packets, including edibles.

 

They said a kilogram of cocaine (over two pounds) was allegedly inside a closet in the office, while additional quantities of cocaine were also plainly visible in the room. They said more than 1.5 kilograms of ketamine (over three pounds) and MDMA in pill and powder form were also in the room, while stacks of cash bound in rubber bands totaling around $85,000 were neatly stacked on a desk near a money counting machine inside the office.

 

The results of DEA laboratory analysis on the recovered substances are pending.

Brennan thanked Clark, and commended SNP’s special investigations bureau and investigators unit, the NYTFD’s Group T-43, the NYPD, and the New York State Police for their work on the investigation.

 

The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.