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Fourteen kilograms of cocaine, several thousand ecstasy and MDMA pills, and a 12-gauge shotgun.
These seized items were among the massive trove of drugs and drug-dealing assets authorities said on Monday that they uncovered inside a Holbrook home last month, following a six-week undercover investigation into 28-year-olds Caleb Moran and Jessica Medina-Rivas.
Investigators estimate the stash — including methamphetamine, fentanyl, anabolic steroids, hallucinogenic gummies, black tar heroin, pill presses, scales, $118,000 in cash and two bulletproof vests — was worth about $2 million. Additionally, officials said more than 80 pounds of narcotics were recovered from an East Patchogue location connected to the case.
“This wasn’t just a drug bust. It was a ticking time bomb sitting in the middle of a quiet neighborhood,” Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said, noting that Suffolk has lost more than 300 residents annually in recent years to drug overdoses.
“These two defendants were allegedly operating a dangerous drug trafficking operation out of their home that pushed deadly substances into our communities,” he added.
Defendants face 15 years to life if convicted
Moran and Medina-Rivas, who had been renting the Tarkington Road home, were arraigned Monday before Suffolk Supreme Court Justice John B. Collins on sweeping indictments.
Moran faces 23 counts, including operating as a major trafficker, first-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and multiple counts of third-degree possession. His girlfriend, Medina-Rivas, faces 32 counts, among them operating as a major trafficker, two counts of second-degree criminal sale, and 13 counts of third-degree possession.
Both defendants face a potential minimum sentence of 15 years to life in prison. Bail was set at $2 million cash for Moran and Medina-Rivas.
Masked bandit uses Sawzall to rob Oakdale convenience store
Vehicle of deception
Investigators allege Moran used a 2017 Ford Explorer — previously owned by the Southampton Town Police Department and purchased at a police auction — to shuttle drugs during deals, hoping its resemblance to an unmarked police vehicle would avoid suspicion.
During one sale, Moran allegedly warned an undercover officer not to sell fentanyl “pure” and described how to dilute it to prevent overdoses, even acknowledging one fatality linked to the product, Tierney said.
In another transaction, Moran and Medina-Rivas allegedly arrived together in the Ford Explorer and sold the undercover officer more than three and a half ounces of cocaine. They also provided what they called a free sample of “food,” a street term for heroin or fentanyl commonly used among drug dealers and users.
“This seizure … is among the largest in Suffolk history,” Suffolk Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina said. “This undercover operation no doubt saved countless lives.”
Top image: YouTube still and photos of evidence (SCDA).
