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Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced Friday, Oct. 7, that the four Montauk residents had been arrested and charged with criminal sale of a controlled substance.
The four are:
- Angel Garces-Diaz, age not available
- Anuedy Garces-Medrano, age 35
- Yadaris Baez-Rivera, age 26
- Everado Hernandez, age 45
“From Babylon to Montauk and every place in between, every community is unfortunately affected by the scourge of these drugs that are becoming increasingly more deadly. Wherever these dangerous drugs are being sold in our county, the Suffolk County law enforcement community will act to hold those responsible,” said Tierney.
The investigation began in March 2022, in partnership with the East End Drug Task Force and the DEA Strike Force Team.
During the investigation, a series of undercover buys were allegedly secured from Garces-Diaz and three additional individuals.
An investigation later established that Garces-Diaz would allegedly frequently acquire narcotics via the mail; from New York City, the Dominican Republic, and elsewhere, for distribution in the Montauk area, particularly at the local bar scene, the DA's Office said.
Investigators further learned that in the summer of 2020, the Department of Homeland Security had intercepted a parcel of cocaine bound for Montauk from the Dominican Republic, which bore a fake name and misleading address, officials said.
At the time, an attempted controlled delivery to the intended recipient was unsuccessful and the investigation reached a dead-end.
In March 2022, the East End Drug Task Force resumed the investigation, gathering evidence sufficient to obtain and execute search warrants, and arrest these defendants, Tierney said.
During the execution of search warrants on Wednesday, Oct. 5, of the defendants’ residences, vehicles, and a storage facility, investigators found more than $35,000 in cash, felony weight quantities of cocaine and fentanyl, a host of drug distribution paraphernalia (digital scales, plastic bags, and a kilo press); and a .9 mm handgun, the DA's Office said.
The quantity of fentanyl recovered was sufficient to kill over 1,000 people, they added.
As a result, the four were arrested and charged.
Garces- Diaz, and Garces-Medrano were held without bail and Baez-Rivera and Hernandez were each released on their own recognizance
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