Massive Cocaine Bust In Bronx And Wisconsin

Authorities have reported that there has been a massive cocaine bust in two locations – one in the Bronx of New York and the other in southeast Wisconsin. According to a report by CBS New York, two Puerto Rican men are facing serious drug-related charges after they were caught during a “massive cocaine bust” in the Bronx area of New York late last week.

“Officials said 136 pounds of cocaine worth $3 million was seized in two separate arrests.”

Authorities believe the drugs were shipped to the New York City area from Boston. A rental car was reportedly pulled over at the intersection of Williamsbridge Road and Pelham Parkway Thursday, when it was found to contain at least 110 pounds of cocaine. 24-year old Xavier Herbert Gumbs, a passenger in the vehicle, reportedly admitted to officials that he ad placed the cocaine in the car.

Police later apprehended a second Puerto Rican man about one hour later, when 23-year-old U.S. Army Reserves Private Mark Soto was seen taking a duffel bag out of a vehicle on Corlear Avenue and West 231 Street – also in New York’s Bronx neighborhood – that appeared to contain an open box of cocaine, reported CBS New York.

“Soto was arrested and 26 pounds of cocaine was seized.”

Following an investigation, state and federal prosecutors discovered that both men are part of a major narcotics trafficking network. They were both arraigned Friday in Manhattan and bail is set at $400,000.

Last Thursday also saw what at first appeared to be a massive cocaine bust in Kenosha County of southeast Wisconsin. Authorities confiscated $1.6 million worth of a substance that was actually determined to be methamphetamine that was being ground up and converted into a substance that could be passed off as cocaine on the street, local Sheriff David Beth told NBC affiliate WTMJ4.

“I’ve never seen a time when they ground up another drug to make it look like cocaine.”

Four people were arrested when the sheriff, Kenosha Police, FEA and the FBI raided a duplex home on the 1600 block of 50^th Street, including 21-year-old Ruben Luna, 23-year-old Alex Diaz Luna, 20-year-old Eleazar Diaz-Sanchez and 22-year-old Alexsander Diaz-Sanchez. The men all face multiple drug charges as a result of the massive cocaine bust, including keeping a drug house and possession with intent to deliver. Police say the meth was being processed to be sold as cocaine in a room inside the duplex where the group was staying.

“They would also spray it with a liquid that treated burns so that when people would put it in their mouth and try it, it would actually numb their tongue so they couldn’t taste the fact that it wasn’t cocaine and it was crystal meth.”

According to the sheriff, the reason for the scheme was to increase profits, since the meth is made by Mexican drug cartels, while cocaine mostly comes from dealers farther away in South America. Not only does buying straight cocaine cut into profits, but the need to transport the drugs a farther distance also greatly increases the risk factor. Of course, this inflated profit margin would increase even more because cocaine also happens to have a much higher street value than crystal meth.

“Disguising meth as cocaine means dealers can sell it for a higher price.”

In addition, the sheriff told reporters that not all recreational cocaine users are full-blown addicts, but crystal meth is a much more powerful, not to mention addictive, substance, causing many users to be fully addicted after just one or two uses. This equates to a rise in return customers.

“If you compare the two, cocaine looks like a healing agent compared to what crystal meth is and they were going to spread 37 pounds of it in southeast Wisconsin.”

[Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images]