DEA seizes more than 920 kilograms of cocaine headed to New York

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced on Tuesday that more than 920 kilograms of cocaine that had been headed to New York had been seized by authorities.

Authorities charged Jorge Aponte-Guzman, Nelson Agramonte-Minaya and Carlos Maisonet-Lopez with conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute at least five kilograms of cocaine after finding the drugs on Sept. 29 and Sept. 30.

Around 460 kilograms were found on Sept. 29 after Aponte-Guzman drove a van from a loading dock in New Jersey to a home to meet with the other two men. In the rental van, authorities found 10 large metal lawn rollers filled with cocaine.

The next day authorities went to the dock and found 10 more large metal lawn rollers with 460 more kilograms.

Authorities say the shipments came from Puerto Rico and their destination was the Bronx.

“A multimillion-dollar storm of cocaine was seized before it could wreak havoc in the Northeast. Over one ton of cocaine was seized, making it the largest cocaine seizure destined for the streets of New York in over a decade,” DEA special agent in charge Ray Donovan said in a statement.

“This seizure signifies a shift in the illegal drug landscape in New York, with cocaine seizures rising more than 150% in the last year. DEA and our law enforcement partners will continue to guard against drug trafficking organizations’ tactics and techniques to smuggle drugs into our country,” he added.

The three men could face a minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum of a life sentence for their alleged crime.