By Mark Hallum
Four Queens residents were charged Friday with possession of a catalog of drugs after an early morning NYPD raid in Woodside allegedly turned up a large supply of marijuana, oxycodone, methamphetamine as well as firearm ammunition, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.
According to the DA, five defendants – including one from New Jersey — are charged with varying degrees of criminal possession of a controlled substance, criminal possession of marijuana and unlawful possession of marijuana.
Three of the individuals were residents of Woodside and identified by the DA as Alex Herrera, 56; Josephine Paguio, 55; and Marilyn Castro, 45. Jasper Davis, 26, of Elmhurst was also arrested as well as a 64-year-old person from New Jersey. Police executed the court-authorized search warrant of the semi-detached home near 41st Avenue and 69th Street at around 6 a.m.
Inside the basement, 138 bags of marijuana, seven jars of crystal meth were found in a dresser drawer, the authorities said. Eleven bags of marijuana were stashed in a cabinet and two bags containing psychedelic mushrooms were discovered in a safe, according to Brown.
The five defendantsould face up to 10 years in prison if convicted, the DA said.
The five were arraigned on three separate complaints before Queens Criminal Court Judge Eugene Guarino, according to Brown, while Herrera and Paguio were also charged with unlawful possession of pistol or revolver ammunition. Authorities allegedly found up to 10 pounds of marijuana alone in the house, the DA said.
“A morning wake-up call by the police armed with a court-authorized search warrant resulted in the arrest of five individuals – three men and two women – in Queens,” Brown said. “In the back of a cabinet, police allegedly seized around 79 oxycodone pills, 103 MDMA pills known as Molly on the street, 47 clonazepam pills, 142 alprazolan pills and 50 amphetamine pills, the DA said.
Police allegedly found Paguio in a third floor bedroom where eight rounds of .25 caliber bullets and additional bags of marijuana were found on top of a dresser, the complaint said.
All were given between $10,000 to $300,000 bail and ordered to return for a follow-up court date scheduled for July 7.
Reach reporter Mark Hallum by e-mail at mhall
