By Nathan Duke
The son of former state Assemblyman Brian McLaughlin was among 37 people arrested this week in connection with a massive pharmaceutical drug ring, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.
Robert McLaughlin, 26, of Astoria, was held on charges of criminal sale of a controlled substance, the DA said. He is the son of Brian McLaughlin, a former Assemblyman and labor leader who was sentenced in May 2009 to 10 years in prison for stealing more than $2 million from labor unions and the state, a DA spokeswoman said.
But residents from Astoria, Jackson Heights, Flushing, Bayside, Whitestone, Sunnyside, Forest Hills, Howard Beach and Corona were also arrested in the bust, the DA said. The defendants were accused of selling highly addictive pharmaceutical drugs, such as Xanax and Oxycodone as well as Ecstasy.
Reach reporter Nathan Duke by e-mail at nduke@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4566.
