Arrested Gilberto Rivera, 25, of Oakdale and Felix Cruz, 29, of Brooklyn

Arrested Gilberto Rivera, 25, of Oakdale and Felix Cruz, 29, of Brooklyn, after they completed a transaction in the parking lot of the Islandia Marriott Hotel on Saturday.Suffolk District Attorney Thomas Spota and Major Walter Heesch, commander of the State Police on Long Island, announced the arrests at a Hauppauge news conference yesterday. Heesch said a kilogram of heroin - about 2 pounds - is worth about $350,000 on the street."We developed information from a confidential source," Heesch said. The district attorney, the Suffolk police and sheriff, and the Drug Enforcement Administration later joined the State Police.Spota said Suffolk had 63 fatal heroin overdoses in 2008 and that Rivera is "a major dealer."These dealers are flooding our community with cheap, potent heroin," Spota said. "It's reaching right down into high school."Detectives seized $25,000 in cash and 5,000 packets of heroin packaged for street sales from inside the men's car, police said.Since Saturday, police have seized about 3 kilograms of heroin, cocaine, oxycodone pills, drug processing equipment and 50 guns from the two ringleaders and their underlings. They also seized about $200,000 in cash.Heroin and cocaine in both powder and crack forms were packaged at an apartment Cruz maintained at 32-15 112th St. in East Elmhurst and were then taken to Suffolk for sale.Rivera used local runners to sell the drugs.
Rivera and Cruz were charged with second-degree possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell. Rivera is also charged with third-degree criminal possession of a weapon and is being held on bail of $25 million or $50 million bond. Cruz's bail is $1 million cash or $3 million bond.Also arrested on various drug, weapons and conspiracy charges were: Rolando Hamilton, Brooklyn; Paul Ortiz, Shirley; Willie Hart, Central Islip; Edward Davis, Bay Shore; Juliann Critelli, Bay Shore; Corarene Singh, Central Islip; Magdalena Davis, Central Islip; Robert Pittell, Centerport; Tariq Williams, Bay Shore; James DeVito, Nesconset, and Marty Hake, West Sayville.

Comments

Thomas said…
Where does this math come from?? A Kilo of heroin worth $350000 on the streets?!?! Okay, as they said, a kilo is APPROX 2 lbs, a Lb is 16 Oz's, an Oz is 28-26 grams, depending on what you are buying and from whom, but we'll stick with 28 for this purpose, doing this math it brings me to approx $400 a GRAM for Heroin. I don't know anyone anywhere who buys or sells at that price. Its about $370-350 too much for a gram, inflated BS by the government.