Over the summer, a DEA sting led to the bust of a Brooklyn drug ring that was distributing heroin via baby wipe containers within New York with plans to ship crystal meth into Philadelphia. Six members of the ring were indicted Thursday on various charges, with prosecutors calling the the group a major operation.
After a four-month investigation, DEA officers first moved in on May 19 after discovering plans for the meth shipment. From afar, they watched the exchange of the three pounds of the drug in the Cypress Hills area. Ricardo Salas was the first of the arrested after his car was searched. Since March, the DEA used wiretaps to track the actions of the alleged kingpins of the ring, Gustavo Adolfo “Chili” Solis, and Ricardo “Bori” Castro.
Gothamist has more:
The second bust went down on July 16, when Solis and Castro met to obtain 400 grams of heroin from a co-conspirator, Rafael Cordero. Agents watched as Castro and Solis left Castro’s home in Flushing, with Solis toting an intentionally innocent Babies R Us shopping bag. Agents collared Solis shortly after he hopped into his BMW X5, an upon searching the bag, discovered the heroin hidden in a box of Winnie the Pooh baby wipes. Castro was also apprehended separately.
Solis and Castro were each charged with several counts of conspiracy, criminal sale of a controlled substance and criminal possession of a controlled substance. They are expected to be arraigned on the indictment today in Manhattan Supreme Court.
“We have not seen that quantity of meth here, indicating that this was a major network,” said Brooklyn DA Kenneth Thompson in a statement.
Hit the following pages to see the baby wipes containers and the meth.
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Photo: Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor
