Dozens Charged In Long-Running Rockland County Drug Operation
RAMAPO, NY (WCBS 880) - Over 20 suspects have been arrested in pre-dawn raids Monday in the third largest drug bust in Rockland County this year.
WCBS 880's Paul Murnane On The Story
Podcast
Officials said a total of 40 people have been charged.
In a 10-month undercover operation, authorities said they made buys on Main Street in Nanuet and Pearl River, in a fast food parking lot and at a mall.
The director of Rockland's drug task force, Chris Goldrick, says the drugs were sometimes bought right out in the open, such as at the McDonald's at Palisades Center in West Nyack.
Goldrick says the drugs ranged from cocaine and $5 bags of heroin to prescription drugs including Oxycodone and Percocet.
"I believe they're getting it from our doctors. They're getting it from medicine cabinets. We're in, I believe, a very over-prescribed society," he said.
Rockland County District Attorney Thomas Zugibe expressed concern on Monday that task force operations are threatened by county budget cuts.
1010 WINS' Al Jones with the details on the bust
Podcast
Goldrick said prescription drug trafficking has doubled since last year, and he hints they'll soon be targeting doctors and pharmacies.
If you live in Rockland County, do you think it is safe? Sound off in the comments section below!
