Police in the Bronx slapped the cuffs on three men after an investigation led them to seize a whopping 360 pounds of cocaine —- $4.5 million worth — from a tractor trailer in the Bronx, prosecutors announced on Wednesday.
The investigation zeroed in on Jeffrey Alcantara, 30, of Manhattan; Karimzhan Ragibov, 28, of Ohio; and Rayimzhon Binaliyev, 37, of Arizona. All three men were arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court on Saturday, Aug. 10, authorities said.
The defendants face charges of first- and third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.
Drugs stashed in a secret compartment
The bust occurred during an investigation into interstate narcotics trafficking in Eastchester on Aug. 8 at approximately 8:20 p.m. Authorities uncovered numerous neatly packaged bricks of the deadly substance in the base of the trailer.
NYC Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget Brennan said the huge find of the deadly drug speaks to the recent rise in cocaine smuggling into the Big Apple.
“It is a dangerous and disturbing trend, especially as we find drugs like fentanyl and xylazine mixed in with cocaine sold on the streets,” Brennan said. “We will continue to work with our partners to disrupt narcotics organizations, seize their drugs and profits, and make our city safer.”
Agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) New Jersey Division, Enforcement Group 2, were doing surveillance as part of the investigation when they saw a black Maxx-D trailer stop near 1591 233 St., officials said.
Just a few moments later, Alcantara —- an alleged NYC-based drug dealer —- drove up to the trailer in a gray Jeep Cherokee. He got out of the jeep, walked up to the trailer and started chatting with the other two defendants.
Alcantara went in and out of the jeep repeatedly for approximately 10 minutes before telling the trailer’s driver to move down the street, according to the investigation.
DEA agents then made their move, and snatched up the three men, taking the vehicles into custody.
The next day, through a court-authorized search, agents and officers with the NYPD’s Queens North Narcotics Major Case Unit found 163 packaged kilograms of narcotics, which lab analysis ID’d as cocaine, from a trap compartment inside the trailer while the jeep banked $30,000 in cash.
Cocaine, an intense euphoria-producing stimulant, can become addictive— highly addictive. In the 1980s, it flooded the streets of New York City and was often considered a popular “club drug.”
But last week’s arrests mark an achievement by law enforcement to tackle the drug’s ongoing resurgence in the city.
“Intercepting significant amounts of deadly drugs prevents them from hitting our streets and, ultimately, saves lives,” Police Commissioner Edward Caban said. “We will now hold those allegedly responsible for bringing this illicit load into New York City fully accountable for their actions.”
