Almost 700 pounds of cocaine with an estimated value of $20m has been seized in what officials are calling one of the largest drug busts in Long Island’s history.
According to police via ABC 7, the haul was discovered last week during a surveillance operation at a Holiday Inn car park in Plainview, New York. Officers were watching the area when they believed they saw a drug deal take place.
As they approached a truck, police say they spotted cocaine on the front seat. Inside the vehicle were two men, later identified as Michael Viera and Daniel Santana.
On Tuesday, authorities laid out the scale of the seizure during a news conference at Nassau County Police Headquarters in Mineola, stacking hundreds of pounds of cocaine on display in front of cameras.
Both men have been charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the first and third degrees. Both charges potentially carry sentences of up to 20 years in prison.
Prosecutors say they are now seeking to upgrade the charges to include drug trafficking.
Officials said the suspects are from Florida and had previously lived in Puerto Rico, where they had faced homicide charges. They have been remanded in jail as investigations continue.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman described the operation as unprecedented for the region, calling it 'one of the largest, if not the largest, drug busts we’ve ever had on Long Island'.
The investigation remains ongoing.