What started as a routine traffic stop in Richmond Hill on Wednesday ended with a drug bust that left two people in handcuffs.
Members of the NYPD Strategic Response Group (SRG) 4 — a rapid response unit usually deployed during emergencies or large-scale events — observed a vehicle traveling through the intersection of 133rd Street and Atlantic Avenue and 133rd Street at 4 p.m. on Feb. 21.
According to law enforcement sources, the officers decided to stop the car after seeing that it had a defective rear brake light, and heard an excessively loud muffler.
The officers stopped the vehicle and met with the two occupants: Luis Picon, 20, of 144th Place in Jamaica; and Henry Garay, 21, of Woodbury, NY. Police said the officers noticed a black bag inside the vehicle.
Upon further inspection, authorities said, cops discovered a large quantity of cocaine — formed in several bricks — inside the bag. Marijuana was also found in the suspects’ possession.
Picon and Garay were subsequently arrested on charges of criminal possession of a controlled substance and criminal possession of marijuana.
Captain Courtney Nilan, commanding officer of the 102nd Precinct based in Richmond Hill, took to Twitter on Wednesday night to congratulate the SRG officers for the bust.
Traffic stop by SRG4 in the 102 Precinct leads to arrests and a large amount of narcotics recovered. Great police work today!!! #teamwork pic.twitter.com/I0Gd3pBLdG
— NYPD 102nd Precinct (@NYPD102Pct) February 22, 2018
