Rye Resident Arrested by NYPD for Alleged Heroin & Fentanyl Drug Trafficking
A Rye resident has been charged with heading a major drug supply organization operating across the metro area. Jose Garcia, age 51, of Central Avenue in Rye, was arrested on Wednesday, March 19th after the New York City Police Department served a warrant at his home.
Garcia’s arrest was part of a long-term wiretap investigation centered in the Marcus Garvey Village apartment complex in Brownsville, Brooklyn. The investigation dismantled three interconnected drug trafficking organizations and resulted in 22 arrests and the seizure of 18 guns, plus more than eight kilograms of narcotics and approximately $250,000 cash. Rye PD referred all inquiries to NYPD. Rye and Westchester County Police cooperated in the Rye arrest.
The overall investigation was conducted by the New York City Police Department’s (NYPD) Gun Violence Suppression Division (GVSD), Gun Recidivists Investigations Program (GRIP), and Field Intelligence Officers with the NYPD’s 73rd and 83rd Precincts, with assistance from the Westchester Police Department and the New York Drug Enforcement Task Force.
“These arrests mark a significant step forward in reclaiming our neighborhoods from a dangerous drug gang and restoring a sense of safety and well-being,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch. “These organizations trafficked fentanyl and other drugs that claimed multiple lives across the city and terrorized our streets with violence and illegal guns. We will continue to go after the dangerous gangs that threaten New Yorkers, and I thank the NYPD investigators and all of our law enforcement partners for their tireless work to take this operation down.”
Charges
Garcia has been charged with Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the 1st degree. Court documents indicate the authorities also intend to charge him on other accounts, including operating as a major drug trafficker. That charge carries a sentence of 15 years to life.
The Operation
Garcia allegedly operated a narcotics supply organization across Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Westchester, providing heroin and fentanyl to dealers including Roshawn Lucky, a resident of Marcus Garvey Village in Brooklyn, who allegedly controlled a network of narcotics dealers who flooded the complex with crack cocaine and heroin mixed with fentanyl.
Garcia and other members of his organization allegedly routinely re-worked the formula for mixing the heroin and fentanyl together. Glassine envelopes were branded with a variety of stamps, marking their product so that they could keep track of which formula was more popular with customers. Stamps used included, “Strong Medicine,” “Adidas,” “Addicted,” “Top Secret,” “In Too Deep,” and “Fan Duel.”
The investigation revealed that Lucky’s Brooklyn customers routinely demanded “Strong Medicine” branded narcotics. When that brand was not available, Lucky would confront Garcia and other members of the supply organization and complain about losing business. The “Strong Medicine” stamp was associated with overdoses in the vicinity of Marcus Garvey Village.
Garcia’s Residence in Rye
A search of Garcia’s residence at 125 Central Avenue, Apartment C9, in Rye, yielded approximately $50,000 cash and $300,000 in jewelry. Court documents indicate Garcia is married with two daughters, ages 9 and 11 as well as two older children in college in New York. Court documents indicate he has a criminal conviction from 15 years ago as well as another from when he was 18 years old.
