In a recent undercover sting, the Drug Enforcement Administration seized nearly $3 million in cocaine, fentanyl, and meth in the Bronx borough of New York. Prosecutors in the Manhattan Federal court detailed the operation this past Thursday (Feb. 13), according to the New York Post.
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A DEA agent had been investigating an alleged narcotics operation in the Bronx for approximately two years. Earlier this week, the official tracked a phone from New York to a hotel room in Somerset, New Jersey. According to court documents, the unidentified agent was able to find Marco Segovia-Landa's name on the hotel visitor's list. While scouting the area, DEA agents were able to identify another suspect, Alicia Nichols, entering the parking lot of the hotel and parking in a secluded area.
The authorities observed Segovia-Landa and Nichols suspiciously open and close the doors to the vehicle multiple times which ultimately led to Nichols being pulled over and searched. In the car, the DEA was able to find seven kilograms of cocaine and seven kilograms of meth. Nichols claimed that she had been given orders to pick up the drugs and transport them back to the Bronx where she would receive a cash payment for her services. Back at the hotel, agents seized a large sum of money, another thirteen kilograms of cocaine, and eight kilograms of fentanyl.
After his arrest, Segovia-Landa began to cooperate with the DEA, concocting an undercover sting to bust more people involved in the New York drug trade. When his associates called, Segovia-Landa set up a pickup giving the men the description of an undercover agent. Ultimately, the men were arrested and the DEA seized 35 kilograms of cocaine, fentanyl, and meth, totally in a street value of approximately $3 million and $750,000 wholesale.
Recently, New York has been attempting to decimate crime organizations throughout the state. After this successful sting, hopefully, the city will see a rapid decrease in overdoses and other violent crimes.