Officers and agents stopped a car and seized these bags of what prosecutors say is $600,000 worth of crystal meth. Photo: Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor
West Street and Battery Place was the scene on Monday of a massive seizure of crystal methamphetamine, resulting in two arrests, authorities said.
As part of an investigation into interstate drug trafficking, officers and agents from the New York Drug Enforcement Task Force were conducting surveillance around 9 a.m. on Monday Sept. 16 when they stopped a Chevrolet Tahoe near Battery Park. According to prosecutors, the officers saw two large duffel bags in the back seat and detained the car’s driver and passenger. Armed with a search warrant more than six hours later, authorities say they found 110 pounds of the white rocky substance, alleged to be crystal meth, in 50-sealed plastic bags, with an estimated value of $600,000.
Results of an analysis of the substance were still pending on Thursday.
The suspects, Fernando Penaloza-Reyes, 43, and Raul Cruz-Torres, 41, both from Reading, PA, were charged with criminal possession of controlled substances in the 2nd degree. The pair was released without bail. In New York State, possession of methamphetamine is not a bail eligible offense, regardless of the quantity.
Authorities called the arrests one of the largest methamphetamine seizures to result in charges by the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor.
“Methamphetamine, sometimes mixed with fentanyl, is claiming an increasing number of lives in our state and nation,” Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget G. Brennan said in a statement. “Preventing more than 100 pounds of the drug from reaching our streets will save precious lives and prevent vulnerable communities from experiencing its destructive impact.”