Five busted at packaging mill with over 30 pounds of heroin and hundreds of fentanyl pills

Over-100000-street-ready-heroin-fentanyl-glassines-seized
Over 100,000 street-ready heroin-fentanyl glassines seized
Photos courtesy of New York City’s Special Narcotics Prosecutor’s Office

A large-scale narcotics investigation into an organization operating in the Bronx took $2 million worth of drugs off the street last week.

On Jan. 7, New York City’s Special Narcotics Prosecutor’s Office announced the seizure of 11 kilograms of suspected heroin and over 100,000 filled individual dose glassine envelopes of heroin, as well as 500 blue pills of suspected fentanyl and $60,000 cash from inside two apartments at 2030 Valentine Avenue.

“This investigation uncovered an opioid den in the heart of the Bronx,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Ray Donovan. “As opioid overdose deaths continue to threaten lives, law enforcement continues to weed out those responsible for opioid distribution. This organization had the capability and reach to supply heroin and fentanyl throughout the five boroughs and Northeast. I applaud our partners’ diligent work in the New York Drug Enforcement Task Force and at the New York City Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor.”

The five defendants, Yeuris Arias, 31 and Raymond Tavarez Urena, 32, both of the Bronx, Nolan Reynoso, 30, Connecticut, Isabel Villar,  50, Boston and Yuly Arias, 28, Boston, N.Y., face charges of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the first and third degrees and criminally using drug paraphernalia in the second degree. They were arraigned Jan. 7 in Manhattan Criminal Court.

On Jan. 5, law enforcement was conducting video and physical surveillance on a suspected drug trafficking operation based on the second floor of 2030 Valentine Avenue when they allegedly encountered Yeuris Arias in a stairwell at 4:40 p.m. They then searched his apartment where 60,000 glassine envelopes filled with suspected heroin, $60,000 cash and 69 different stamps bearing the names such as “Exit 3,” “Versace,” “American Gangster” and “Mortal Kombat” were discovered.

Inside the bedroom there were materials used for drug packaging, including inkpads and several thousand empty stamped glassine envelopes. Garbage bags containing additional empty glassine envelopes, as well as identification cards and a drug ledger were also recovered.

An hour later cops witnessed Reynoso Rodriguez exit a nearby apartment and through the open door, saw a tabletop covered with powder and glassine envelopes. Defendants Villar, Tavarez Urena and Yuly Arias were allegedly inside the living room.

Once obtaining a court-authorized search warrant, agents found approximately 11 kilograms of suspected heroin, 500 blue pills of suspected fentanyl and 43,000 filled glassine envelopes containing suspected heroin. The glassine envelopes bore stamp names that appeared to match those recovered from the other apartment. Multiple cellphones and drug records were also seized.

Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget Brennan expressed her gratitude to all of the agencies who assisted in the case.

“As overdose deaths escalate, seizing the dangerous heroin and fentanyl before it ever hits the streets has never been more critical,” Brennan said. “I thank the dedicated investigators and attorneys who worked on this case.”