23 Kilos of Cocaine and Fentanyl-photo by DEA-New Jersey Division
A Queens man was arraigned today on charges related to an investigation into interstate narcotics trafficking and the seizure of approximately 23 kilograms (50 pounds) of cocaine and packages of fentanyl, carrying a street value of more than $1 million. Members of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) New Jersey Division tracked the vehicle from New Jersey to Middle Village, Queens.
OMAR MACHADO faces charges of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the First, Third and Seventh Degrees, and Criminally Using Drug Paraphernalia in the Second Degree, contained in an indictment filed by the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor (SNP) in Manhattan Supreme Court.
Bridget G. Brennan, New York City’s Special Narcotics Prosecutor, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, and Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Ortiz, DEA New Jersey Division, announced the charges following an arraignment on the indictment today before Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Abraham Clott.
Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget Brennan said, “We have seen a recent pattern of large cocaine seizures in our area. That trend is consistent with record high coca cultivation in South America. We will remain vigilant in our efforts to stem the flow of all illegal narcotic drugs into our city.”
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said, “Countless New Yorkers are safer today because of this narcotics seizure. More than $1 million worth of poisonous cocaine, fentanyl and xylazine that was intended for our streets is now in an evidence room. I thank the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor and the Drug Enforcement Administration for their extraordinary work on this case.”
DEA New Jersey Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Ortiz said, “Once again we see some of the lengths drug traffickers take to hide and transport illegal drugs across the tristate area. Thanks to the quick action of our DEA team and partners, we were able to remove approximately 23 kilos of cocaine as well as fentanyl from their supply chain. The DEA will continue to use all our resources to stop the flow of illegal drugs from making their way into our communities.”
On September 3, 2024, members of DEA New Jersey, Enforcement Group 2, tracked MACHADO, a suspected narcotics trafficker, as he drove a white Toyota Highlander from New Jersey to Woodhaven Boulevard in Middle Village, a busy mixed commercial and residential area. Agents stopped MACHADO in a parking garage adjacent to an apartment building, located at 62-98 Woodhaven Boulevard, where a New York State Police K9 alerted to the presence of narcotics. Agents detained MACHADO while they obtained a search warrant for the vehicle and 62-98 Woodhaven Boulevard, Apt. 5O.
During a court-authorized search of the vehicle, agents recovered multiple locked safes from inside two cardboard boxes found in the trunk. The safes allegedly contained 23 kilogram-sized packages of cocaine wrapped in colored tape. A small quantity of fentanyl was also found in a hidden trap compartment in the Toyota Highlander.
At approximately 8 p.m. that evening, agents searched 62-98 Woodhaven Boulevard, Apt. 5O, and recovered approximately 150 glassine envelopes of fentanyl from a safe in the bedroom closet, as well as $4,000 cash. Laboratory analysis performed by the New York City Police Department (NYPD) also indicated the presence of xylazine in the fentanyl mixture. Xylazine is the non-opioid sedative known as “tranq,” which is not responsive to the most common opioid overdose reversal drugs.
DEA estimated the drugs carry a street value of over $1 million.
MACHADO was released on a $750,000 bond following his initial arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court.
