By Bill Parry
The commander of the 108th Precinct in Long Island City is heaping praise on two of his officers for a big drug bust in Sunnyside.
On the night of June 10, Officers Gerald LaClair and Madalin Niulae were in plain clothes and driving an unmarked car on patrol in the vicinity of 38th Street and 43rd Avenue in Sunnyside when they noticed a black 2011 Jeep Cherokee blow a stop sign and head east on 43rd Avenue.
The officers stopped the SUV and noticed a strong odor of marijuana coming from inside and they observed marijuana residue on the floor, according to the NYPD. A license check of the driver, Omar Carbajal, revealed that he was driving with a suspended license, police said.
The 29-year-old Carbajal, a resident of 50th Street in Woodside, was arrested and taken to the 108th Precinct for processing, police said. While conducting an inventory search, officers allegedly discovered 2 ounces of PCP in the trunk and called the Emergency Services Unit and requested a drug-sniffing dog who alerted his handler to a positive hit in the center console, the precinct said.
The officers then applied for, and were granted, a search warrant for the vehicle and allegedly discovered a trap which concealed more than 5 ounces of cocaine as well as over 8 ounces of marijuana and 60 amphetamine pills, police said.
“LaClair and Nicluae are two of the most talented officers in this department and we are fortunate to have them in the 108th Precinct,” Capt.John Travaglia said. “These men come to work every day and treat this profession as a vocation. It is this work ethic and commitment to this line of work which made this arrest possible.”
Carbajal was charged with multiple counts of possession with intent to sell and he was charged with a count of aggravated unlicensed operator and other infractions, police said.
“They are anti-crime police officers who will tell you this was just a part of their job,” Travaglia said. “They are part of a team and not about individual glory, but I’ll tell you if I was a bad guy in the region, I would really be worried, because the talent level of this team is like nothing I’ve ever seen in my police career.”
Travaglia added that LaClair was the 108th’s Cop of the Month in February for his apprehension of three men charged with shooting a bouncer from a nightclub in Long Island City.
“The kid is amazing!” he said.
Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparr
