A so-called "cocaine pipeline" that runs from the Dominican Republic to Long Island was busted after Suffolk County police arrested four people accused of selling the cocaine and fentanyl at bars in a Hamptons hot spot.
Montauk is a magnet for vacationers in the summer, and prosecutors allege that four residents of the town took advantage of that to sell the illegal drugs since 2020. The district attorney said the drugs were sold in night spots in the town and the surrounding area.
The drugs were on display at a Friday press conference, along with $35,000 in cash and a handgun seized earlier in the week at the suspects' homes. District Attorney Ray Tierney said that the drugs were mailed to Montauk from suppliers in the Dominican Republic and New York City.
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"They’ll secrete it inside an item that looks otherwise legal, but secreted inside that are the illegal drugs," Tierney said.
That's when Angel Garces-Diaz would allegedly then pick up the drugs and help distribute them. None of the alleged drug sales have been linked to a fatal overdose, but the bust comes at a time when Suffolk county leads the tri-state area in opioid overdose deaths.
"We have an opioid overdose epidemic in Suffolk county and law enforcement has to be vigilant in preventing this from happening," Tierney said.
