Federal drug enforcement agents and New York state police raided an apartment building in Queens, NY this week. Chemists entered the fourth-floor apartment of a luxury waterfront building on Center Boulevard in Queens wearing protective hazmat suits. After a thorough investigation, it was discovered the apartment was being used as a Drug Den.
Brian Parker, who had been arrested twice for illegally selling prescription drugs, from New York and Victoria Koleski, from New Jersey, were both arrested on charges of possessing and distributing controlled substances.
The pair are accused of selling synthetic opioids, designer drugs like PCP, and other substances online.
Neighbors were shocked by the discovery
Neighbors who live down the hall from the drug den were shocked when they heard and saw the police knocking at the door of the apartment. One resident saw the police ramming the door down.
Residents were in disbelief when they discovered it was a drug den. Occupants of the building thought there was a gas leak, or chemical attack when they saw men in hazmat suits running to the apartment.
Investigation began after man overdosed
The investigation into the drug den began after a man from Madison, Wisconsin overdosed in May 2016. Packages of synthetic opioid were traced back to the victim's address.
Authorities said the vials they found were more potent than morphine. Invoices were traced back to a website run by Parker, reported CBS2 news.
Raw materials delivered from China
Prosecutors believe that Koleski would send and receive packages for Parker's alleged drug enterprise. Raw materials delivered from China would be received by Koleski.
Parker and Koleski would manufacture the designer drugs in the apartment and then ship them to their customers.
It is alleged that Koleski shipped approximately 218 packages of the designer drugs between June 30 and July 5 from her local post office.
Drug crisis affects entire community
Jeremy Rosenberg, a man who lives across the street from the luxury high-rise building, said that this drug crisis is affecting the entire community.
He went on to say that the selling of designer drugs on his block proves that no neighborhood is immune.
The sale of drugs, the manufacturing of synthetic opioids and other lethal illegal substances can be manufactured next door to all of us. There is no community that is immune to drugs, and there is no neighborhood too high-class or affluent to be the scene of a drug bust.
