NYC law enforcement seized over $1.1 million worth of cocaine and methamphetamine from a luxury NYC apartment this week. Nearly 40 pounds of narcotics were also confiscated.
38 pounds of meth, cocaine recovered in $1.1M drug bust at posh NYC high-rise https://t.co/GBdvbfgCw8 pic.twitter.com/Shfql3lu1P
— New York Post (@nypost) March 15, 2024
The arrests of Jovanny Salas, a 29-year-old resident of Colorado, and Sergio Betancourt Peralta, a 34-year-old Manhattan resident, followed the seizure. Both were charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the first, second, and third degrees.
Investigations found that both individuals have connections to Mexico, based on ID documentation found during the operation.
The operation was part of a larger effort to combat methamphetamine and cocaine trafficking within New York City, sanctioned by a court-authorized search warrant. Prior to executing the search warrant, undercover operatives, representing the New York Drug Enforcement Task Force (NYDETF), a division of the DEA, conducted surveillance around the apartment.
They observed Salas leaving the building from the 27th floor and descending to the lobby, where he was then apprehended by DEA agents and police officers. Upon arresting Salas, authorities discovered a wallet with identification cards of Betancourt Peralta and a key to the apartment, leading them to proceed with the search warrant on apartment unit 27F and arrest Betancourt Peralta.
The apartment, located at 550 W. 54th Street, is an upscale residential building where rent spans from $3,845 for a studio to $8,150 for a two-bedroom suite.
Inside the apartment, police uncovered roughly 30 pounds of meth and over eight pounds of cocaine, along with a backpack containing $27,880 in cash.
DEA, NYPD seize $1M in meth and cocaine, arrest two suspects in luxury NYC apartment
Agents also discovered nearly $28,000 in cash in a backpack in the closet.https://t.co/HgPe2jAZcW
— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) March 15, 2024
NYPD Commissioner Edward A. Caban said in a statement, “The charges stemming from this case demonstrate the unwavering commitment of the NYPD, the DEA, and all of our law enforcement partners to investigate thoroughly anyone allegedly involved in the illicit drug trade in New York City.”
The next day, the NYDETF seized nearly 45 pounds of cocaine worth over $1 million from interstate traffickers. Officials arrested Carlos Almonte Palmers, an illegal immigrant from the Dominican Republic who was deported from New York in 2022.
According to the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor for the City of New York, fatal drug overdoses are at an all-time high in NYC, with over 3,000 deaths per year.
