Law enforcement officials arrested a Manhattan man Tuesday and seized approximately 12 kilos of fentanyl during an afternoon raid at an apartment in the Belmont neighborhood of the Bronx, according to the New York division of the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The bust, which took place at 2:15 p.m., followed a five-month investigation into drug trafficking in the area. DEA agents initially recovered four kilos of fentanyl during an undercover operation before discovering an additional eight kilos hidden inside a first-floor apartment at 780 Garden St.
The suspect, 66-year-old Xiex Cruz, was taken into custody. Authorities allege Cruz used the first-floor apartment as a “drug dungeon” to stash and distribute narcotics.
The location raised additional concerns as the stash house was situated just 30 feet from a day care center operating on the first floor and directly below another day care on the third floor. Officials emphasized that there is no evidence either facility was involved in the operation.
The bust comes just over a year since four toddlers were poisoned—one fatally—at Divino Nino Day Care Center in the Bronx where dealers were stashing and trafficking fentanyl.
Frank Tarentino, the DEA Special Agent in Charge, who oversaw Tuesday’s raid, said that the Bronx is a hotspot for drug operations in the city.
“The Bronx is ground zero for the five boroughs in terms of how drug trafficking organizations are involved in moving their illicit trade,” Tarentino said. “The Bronx is geographically located in a place in New York City which affords drug trafficking organizations easy access in and out because of the interstate, because of the Cross Bronx Expressway and because of the George Washington Bridge from New Jersey.”
Even in low doses, fentanyl, a schedule II synthetic opioid about 100 times stronger than morphine, can be fatal, especially to children, according to the DEA.
The close proximity of the two day care facilities to the stash house underscores the threat to the Bronx community. Tarentino said that citizens should remain on high alert.
“There are bad actors and people who intend to do harm out there,” he said. “Whether it’s pushing this very deadly and highly addicting drug like fentanyl, they’re using all different types of methods to move their poison, whether it’s social media applications, the internet or on our city streets. “We just have to be mindful.”
Nine law enforcement officers on the scene were treated for symptoms consistent with exposure to the drug – one of them was transported to the hospital and later released. Tarentino said that all have since recovered and were able to resume their law enforcement duties.
Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson released a statement Wednesday calling for additional measures to prevent fentanyl distribution and deaths.
“Fentanyl is a silent killer, and its presence in our community is a stark and urgent warning,” Gibson said. “It highlights the immediate danger that fentanyl and other dangerous opioids present to the health and safety of our residents, particularly our most vulnerable children and families. It is critical that we intensify our efforts to combat this epidemic through prevention, education, and expanding access to naloxone.”
The office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor for the City of New York told the Bronx Times that they expect the suspect to be arraigned in Manhattan Wednesday night.
