MINEOLA, New York (WABC) — Almost 700 pounds of cocaine have been seized in Nassau County in what is being called one of the largest drug busts in the county’s history.
Two people are facing charges in connection with the bust of 687 pounds of cocaine that was found in a car last Thursday.
On Tuesday, $20 million in cocaine was stacked up on a table in front of authorities during a news conference at Nassau County Police Headquarters in Mineola.
Police say officers were staking out the parking lot of a Holiday Inn on Sunnyside Avenue in Plainview. When they saw what was believed to be a sale go down, they approached the truck with the defendants inside and saw cocaine in the front seat.
“They got the two individuals out, they placed them under arrest, they opened up the trunk of the pickup truck and this is what you got? 312 kilos of cocaine,” said Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder.
Police arrested Michael Viera, 40, and Daniel Santana, 35.
They were arraigned on charges of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the first and third degrees. Both of those charges could carry maximum sentences of 20 years behind bars.
The two men are from Deland, Florida, but according to officials, they also previously lived in Puerto Rico where they had faced homicide charges.
“This is over $20 million of street value that was going to go out into the streets of Long Island and affect our kids that are out there,” Ryder said.
Nassau County Executive and Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman spoke about the massive takedown.
“We have here one of the largest, if not the largest, drug bust we’ve ever had on Long Island,” Blakeman said.
Prosecutors say they are going to try to upgrade the charges to include drug trafficking. The suspects were remanded to jail and authorities say the investigation is ongoing.
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