39 Kilos of Heroin worth over $20 Million Seized in Richmond Hill, Queens

MANHATTAN , NY. - Thirty-nine kilograms of heroin (86 pounds) were seized during a court authorized search of an apartment at 86-34 122 nd Street in Richmond Hill, Queens, which housed a heroin distribution center. Agents arrested one individual, Jose Santiago Diaz, who worked at the location where heroin was repackaged for distribution. The investigation revealed that Diaz is an illegal alien who was previously deported to the Dominican Republic. The large stash of heroin, recovered from the ground floor apartment on Wednesday evening, is estimated to carry a street value of more than $20 million. Eight packages of pressed heroin weighing more than 2 ½ pounds each were found lying on the floor of the studio apartment, while another 11 packages were recovered from inside a duffel bag. A makeshift assembly line had been set up on a table, complete with kilo presses and multiple buckets containing grinders, sifters and other paraphernalia. Another 10 kilograms of loose heroin were on the table with the buckets. Brown sugar used as a cutting agent was also recovered from the apartment. Agents and detectives with the DEAsNew York Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Strike Force had been conducting surveillance at the suspected drug location for several weeks prior to the search. On Tuesday night, members of the Strike Force team observed an individual wearing latex gloves that are typical of those worn by heroin mill workers, exit the front door of the building and then return inside. Moments later the agents saw an individual wearing latex gloves open a window in the ground floor apartment. Agents and detectives approached the building and noticed a strong odor of heroin emanating from a window and an air conditioner. Shortly after midnight, Jose Santiago Diaz exited the building and drove off in a vehicle. Agents stopped the car and detained Diaz after he made inconsistent statements. Agents detected the smell of heroin on Diaz and determined that he was in possession of the keys to the ground floor apartment at 86-34 122nd Street. Members of the Strike Force team contacted the Port Authority Police K-9 Unit, which dispatched a Port Authority police officer and a K-9 dog to the building at 86-34 122 nd Street. Upon sniffing the door to the residence, the dog signaled the presence of narcotics. Agents froze the location overnight and the Special Narcotics Prosecutors Office obtained the search warrant on Wednesday afternoon.