The Nassau County Police Department arrested two men in Plainview and seized 312 kilos of cocaine with an estimated worth of $21 million in what was termed one of the county’s largest drug busts, County Executive Bruce Blakeman announced on Tuesday, Feb. 3.
Michael Vera, 40, and Daniel Santana, 35, were charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the first degree, which carried an eight-to-20-year sentence, and criminal possession in the third degree, a felony with a 9-year maximum sentence, District Attorney Anne Donnelly said
Nassau County Police Commissioner Pat Ryder said the two men, who are from Deland, Fla., were both convicted of murder in Puerto Rico but were released from jail for reasons currently unknown to Nassau police. The two were arraigned Friday, Jan. 30, in district court.
Blakeman touted the arrest in a press conference attended by Ryder and Donnelly.
“We are making a remarkable amount of progress when it comes to taking illegal drugs off the streets of Nassau County,” Blakeman said. “I couldn’t be more delighted with the work of our police officers.”
He said that this is the largest drug bust that the Nassau police have carried out without the assistance of state and federal law enforcement.
Ryder said the arrests were made in Plainview on Thursday, Jan. 29, after an investigation by Nassau County Narcotics and the police Strategic Response Team.
Police witnessed an apparent drug transaction between two cars, including a black pickup truck, Ryder said. He said he could not provide further details on the second vehicle.
“This is an ongoing investigation,” Ryder said. “There will be more to come that we cannot discuss today, but I have a lot of faith in our narcotics bureau.”
Ryder said Vera and Santana were arrested without incident, and 312 kilos of cocaine were found in the bed of the pickup truck, in suitcases.
Donnelly said her office will be looking to upgrade these charges.
She said that a field test showed that the substance found by police was cocaine, and that further lab tests are being processed to determine the presence of other substances, such as fentanyl.
Blakeman said the county’s number of fatal overdoses has decreased by 50% since 2023.
“This is one of the largest seizures of cocaine in my 35 years in the district attorney’s office,” Donnelly said. “They could have destroyed countless lives.”
