Four arrested in connection with cocaine operation inside luxury Mott Haven apartment
Prosecutors say the group delivered cocaine across Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn, using the apartment building as a pickup point.
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Federal and local drug enforcement agents raided a luxury apartment building in Mott Haven over the weekend, arresting four men accused of operating a large-scale cocaine distribution ring out of one of the units, according to prosecutors.
Authorities say the investigation centered around an apartment inside The Lincoln at Bankside on Lincoln Avenue, near the Third Avenue Bridge.
Investigators allege the group used the apartment as both a stash house and pickup hub to move cocaine throughout New York City — comparing the operation to a “drive-thru” style drug business.
According to a criminal complaint, more than 22 pounds of cocaine and thousands of cocaine-filled vials were recovered during the investigation.
The suspects were identified as 28-year-olds Ermes Jimenez and Jordan Machuca, 37-year-old Eddy Ruiz-De La Rosa and 43-year-old Jonathan Rivera.
Prosecutors allege Jimenez regularly supplied large amounts of cocaine to delivery drivers who transported the drugs throughout Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn. Authorities say the apartment’s proximity to the Third Avenue Bridge made it an ideal location to quickly move narcotics between boroughs.
On Sunday, investigators say they observed Jimenez entering a vehicle driven by Ruiz-De La Rosa, carrying weighted bags believed to contain narcotics.
Rivera was later stopped in a separate vehicle, where investigators allegedly recovered about 300 grams of cocaine, a firearm and thousands of dollars in cash.
Machuca was arrested later that day in Brooklyn.
Officials say the cocaine seized in the operation had an estimated street value of up to $250,000. Authorities also recovered an additional $200,000 in cash.
The four men are facing multiple drug-related charges. Prosecutors requested bail of up to $150,000.
