109th Precinct
Two people sit in cells on Rikers Island after surprise visit by probation officers uncovered a cocaine factory and arsenal in College Point.
According to a law enforcement source, when cops and probation officers dropped in on the apartment of Abriel Carela, 23, at 9-11 125th Street just after 8 a.m. on Thursday, March 4, they found him in his kitchen, with a large quantity of cocaine, a strainer and bags of the drug packaged for sale – all in open view.
In the bedroom was his live-in gal pal, 19-year-old Monica Vargas, more drugs including bags of heroin and a metal safe with a box of bullets on top.
The duo was taken into custody and police secured the premises while they got a warrant.
The next day, cops at the 109th Precinct had tallied up roughly two pounds of cocaine, in blocks and portioned out in small plastic bags; a quantity of heroin; drug paraphernalia; some pills; three handguns including a .45 automatic and a 9mm and several hundred rounds of ammunition – including for a .22 caliber firearm that was not found – and about $58,000 in cash.
“It was the most amount of coke I’d ever seen,” a police source said.
Carela and Vargas were arraigned before judge Ira Margulis on Friday, March 5, on a raft of charges including possession of narcotics with intent to sell and weapons charges.
Carela had pleaded guilty to weapons possession on June 2, 2006 and was out on five years probation. According to the source, he has 13 prior arrests; Vargas had no prior record.
Margulis set Carela’s bail at $75,000 cash and remanded him to jail; Vargas could not post the $10,000 bail set for her; she too was remanded to Rikers.
The pair is due back in court on Friday March 19.
– Victor G. Mimoni
