NYPD Seizes $10 Million Worth of Cocaine in Largest Drug Bust in More Than a Decade

NEW YORK — New York police have intercepted more than 580 pounds of cocaine worth an estimated $10 million during a massive drug trafficking investigation in Queens, calling it the department’s largest cocaine seizure in at least ten years.

The drugs were discovered inside a self-storage facility in Long Island City after months of surveillance involving the NYPD, the DEA, New Jersey State Police and the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor.

Months-Long Investigation Leads to Major Breakthrough

Investigators had been tracking a suspected interstate cocaine trafficking network operating between New Jersey and Upper Manhattan.

The investigation intensified on August 12, when federal agents recovered cocaine, cash and a firearm during a separate operation in Fort Lee, New Jersey. Detectives then began closely monitoring Nelson Salcedo, a 35-year-old man from Englewood, New Jersey, whom authorities believe was acting as a middleman for an international cartel-linked distribution network.

Police say surveillance teams watched Salcedo make multiple late-night deliveries before identifying a storage unit in Long Island City as the organization’s staging location.

Hundreds of Cocaine Bricks Hidden in Cardboard Boxes

On August 26, detectives followed Salcedo to the storage facility as he loaded cardboard boxes into a gray Nissan van.

After obtaining a search warrant, officers opened 19 boxes found in and around the vehicle. Inside were approximately 266 one-kilogram packages of cocaine weighing more than 580 pounds.

Authorities said the cocaine was unusually pure and had not yet been diluted with other substances.

“More than a quarter of a metric ton of cocaine sitting in boxes and ready to move through an illegal distribution network,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said while announcing the seizure.

Drugs Could Have Been Mixed With Fentanyl

Investigators believe the shipment would likely have been cut multiple times before reaching street-level dealers, dramatically increasing both the quantity of drugs sold and the danger to users.

Assistant Chief Michael Baldassano said the purity of the cocaine suggests it was intended for further processing, warning that it likely would have been mixed with substances such as fentanyl before distribution throughout New York City.

Officials say cocaine is now involved in more than half of overdose deaths in New York, often because buyers unknowingly consume fentanyl-laced products.

Three Arrests, More Expected

Salcedo has been charged with multiple counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance and pleaded not guilty during his arraignment.

Authorities confirmed that three people have been arrested so far, while another suspected associate who allegedly accepted cocaine deliveries remains at large.

Investigators believe additional arrests are likely as they continue working to dismantle the broader trafficking organization.

Largest Cocaine Bust in a Decade

Law enforcement officials described the operation as a historic victory against organized narcotics trafficking.

The seizure represents the largest cocaine bust by the NYPD in more than ten years and one of the biggest drug seizures by New York’s Special Narcotics Prosecutor in over two decades.

Officials say removing more than 580 pounds of cocaine from circulation prevented millions of dollars’ worth of narcotics from reaching neighborhoods across New York and New Jersey.

While the investigation continues, authorities believe the operation has dealt a significant blow to a cartel-linked distribution network that had been quietly moving large quantities of cocaine into the region under the cover of ordinary commercial deliveries.