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Updated: 2.21 am
THE US DRUG Enforcement Agency (DEA) has seized more than 70 kilos (154 pounds) of heroin in the New York borough of the Bronx.
The drugs, with a conservatively estimated street value of $50 million, were discovered on Sunday in a car in the Fieldston neighbourhood, along with $2 million in cash, and a handgun, the DEA announced overnight.
Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget G. Brennan sought to give an idea of just how large the haul was:
To put it in perspective, this load was so large it carried the potential of supplying a dose of heroin to every man, woman and child in New York City.
The $50 million (€45 million) heroin bust is the DEA’s fourth-largest ever, and the biggest they have ever conducted in New York.
The largest heroin seizure in American history came in 1991, when customs authorities found 1,200 pounds of China White in a warehouse in Hayward, California, the LA Times reported.
In 1989, federal agents confiscated 21.4 tonnes of cocaine (worth $6 billion) in Los Angeles – still the largest drugs seizure in US history.
Sunday’s haul was the culmination of a year-long operation involving several federal and local agencies, with a court-ordered wiretap providing a breakthrough in the case.
Surveillance over the weekend led to a search on a Chevrolet Suburban, where 70 rectangular packages marked as “Rolex” were discovered in a hidden compartment.
It emerged on Wednesday evening that the drugs were located with the help of police from the borough of Yonkers – including Dave McIntyre, originally from Belmullet, Co Mayo.
The department said on its Facebook page:
Great work by Yonkers PD K-9 Unit Officer Dave McIntyre and ESU Sergeant Denis DiDonato. At the request of the DEA, both responded to a location in the Bronx.
K9 Slygo indicated the presence of narcotics. Subsequently, over 70 kilos and 2 million dollars were seized.
Subsequent searches on two nearby apartments yielded $2 million (€1.8 million) in cash, and a .380 calibre handgun.
The drugs were part of what the DEA is calling a major trafficking operation involving the notorious Mexican Sinaloa Cartel, and had been destined for distribution throughout New York City, as well as Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.
Two men were arrested in November as part of the operation, but on Sunday agents caught the alleged kingpin, Jose “Hippie” Mercedes (56), along with 19-year-old Yenci Cruz Francisco.
They have both been charged with “Operating as a major trafficker” and criminal possession of a controlled substance.
Originally published: 8.12 pm Wednesday
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In fairness, if it says “Free park and ride”. I could see why somebody would think the luas journey was also free.
Exactly. Even if you’re at a P&R facility it makes it sound like the ride part is free too.
I suppose they didn’t get a return ticket because they were on their way to see “The Neverending Story” : )
@Ace: Yeah, that would make some sense. It doesn’t say that though.. It says “Luas P+R free Aug Hol “. At a place where there is no Park and Ride, so it’s not even vaguely obvious what P+R is. Also, “Free Park and ride” would make me think that both the parking and the riding were free. :) No?
Would it really have been that difficult to state “Free Parking at Park and Ride” instead, and just put up the sign at Park and Ride locations? Using words and common sense maybe. Crazy, suggestion I know!
In the USA it’s called “kiss and ride” God knows what this woman’s Gobsh*te kids would have thought they’re getting with that.
This was a genuine case of misunderstanding but one would wonder how transdev could ever hope to break even with the amount of people who travel without paying.
They’re subsidised by the Govmint no public transport system anywhere in the world generates enough revenue to pay their own way
In my experience you need to make things like the luas, train stations and airports as simple as possible as you have to cater to first time users and tourists who may not be able to speak the language. I’ve been all over the world and most places make it so easy it’s almost impossible to go wrong. It’s not hard to do. Then there are places that seemingly don’t give a s#@t. I think we should make sure Ireland falls into the former category.
Totally agree Awkward.
Teens not paying their fare on the green line, shocker :-P
There’s no such thing as a free ride !
@Kevin Ward: Or free park.
I was so disappointed that I didn’t get my free pernod and red that day
Woof
how much are the fines for not buying a Ticket on the Luas? just curious , I live in Switzeland and the fine is about 80 euro.
@Patrick Ramseyer: Not sure it matters a lot what the fine is in Dublin, because from what I’ve heard, no one ever pays it.
100
Not sure Patrick I just throw them away and they’ve never come after me
Sometimes I think that officialdom makes it so difficult for companies and businesses, big and small,to operate. IMHO, a ridiculous ruling…
Let’s keep rewarding stupidity. Look at the bonus prize we all got from that in the form of Trump and his cabinet.
Ignorance is no excuse to law. Silly ruling, makes a mockery of the system. At least the lads got some extra pocket money in town.
@Niall Ó Dochartaigh: agreed, transdev were quite ignorant on this occasion.
They still had to pay the fine. This was just the advertising standards authority ruling the ad broke the industry voluntary code of practice. It has no legal powers to make any order for the the fine to be refunded
Park n ride doesnt work anyway, i parked there for 2 hours last week but didnt get a ride.
Did no body flash there light or did you forget to flash yours? The Big boys tell me that’s how it works.
So I was the fine cancelled or refunded?
No…this was just the Advertising Standards Authority finding that the advertising industry voluntary code of practice was breached, they have no legal authority to force anyone to do anything. It was a completely pointless exercise to lodge this complaint against Transdev they wouldn’t have even sent a lawyer to hearing just their public relations people would have attended.
They knew exactly what the sign ment.but we’ll done god loves a tryer
There was a Court case last July re the LUAS where the Judge said that the ticket inspectors cannot stop you on the platform to ask you for a ticket because that is the ‘public highway’ and its only a Guard that can challenge you on the ‘public highway’ so LUAS inspectors, or any other inspector for that matter, can only challenge you on board the LUAS/Bus etc.
I suppose it’s free park and ride for the Dogging. Community!
I guess you had to be be there to get that
In few months we’ll read how it cost half million of euros to establish what free park and ride mean and oxford English commission had to be established and called. It’s not scary what these morons spend their time debating about when there’s thousands of important issues around.
The red line should be called ‘The Mainline Express’
I also got caught out by this and went dogging at the Red Cow Luas Car Park. Hope my fine is overturned
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