By Eric Jankiewicz
A Queens teacher was arrested Monday after a drug task force allegedly found 10 grams of heroin, a scale with drug residue on it and all of the items needed to use heroin in her Ozone Park home, according to the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutors.
Gloria Chamorro, 24, and her husband Luis Lizardo, 36, were charged Wednesday morning in Manhattan Criminal Court with several counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance and criminally using drug paraphernalia, authorities said. Both pleaded not guilty.
Chamorro, who is a substitute teacher and a school bus aide, confessed to authorities that she attempted to flush heroin down the sink Monday as police were trying to enter the couple’s home, according to the criminal complaint.
As a substitute, Chamorro works in several schools throughout Queens with children in elementary schools, according to the Special Narcotics Prosecutors.
The Department of Education did not return a request for comment.
Her husband, Luis Lizardo, was the target of an extensive investigation related to drugs, according to a spokeswoman for the Special Narcotics Office. Detective Richard Turk contended that Lizardo was suspected of selling heroin and Xanex, a pharmaceutical, in his testimony recorded in the criminal complaint.
When police came with a search warrant to the house at 87-09 Sutter Ave., Lizardo refused to let them in, according to Turk’s court testimony, and while he stalled the police outside of the house, Chamorro, who deals with children in her day job, began to drain heroin down the drain. But when police entered, there were still 10 grams of heroin along with a medley of drug-related items like hundreds of wax bags often used to distribute heroin, a stamper, an ink pad, rubber bands and a strainer, the Special Narcotics Office said.
According to police, after being read her Miranda rights, Chamorro confessed to draining heroin down the sink when she said police were trying to get in.
Chamorro was present in the home when police arrived to conduct a court-authorized search Monday night and admitted to washing a large amount of heroin down the drain as police worked to gain entry.
Bail was set at $20,000 for Lizardo and his wife was released on her own recognizance.
Reach reporter Eric Jankiewicz by e-mail at ejank
