Police arrest 8 in Harstdale heroin operation

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Police arrest eight in Hartsdale heroin operation

(Original Publication: November 28, 2006)

Shawn Cohen

The Journal News

HARTSDALE - Eight people were arrested and $1 million worth of heroin was seized as police from several agencies busted up a narcotics operation that was operating out of a house in Hartsdale, District Attorney Janet DiFiore said today.

The arrests were made last night, after Angel Thevenin of Queens allegedly left a home at 25 Lytton Ave. in Hartsdale, then drove to 1580 Pelham Parkway in the Bronx, where he retrieved a plastic bag from the trunk of the car.

New York City police arrested him there and recovered two boxes containing about 60,000 glassines of heroin.

Less than an hour later, seven other individuals made a hasty exit from the Hartsdale residence, driving off in a Honda minivan that was stopped by Westchester County police.

Police then used a warrant to search the house, where another ounce of heroin was found.

One bedroom was dedicated for the packaging of the drug. Police also found boxes that had contained thousands of empty glassines envelopes, 10 respirator masks, cutting tools and over 20 cylinders used to mix, cut and grind heroin.

The basement was also used to store the by-products of the heroin operation, likely for dumping at another location, DiFiore said.

The home had a security system that included cameras at all four corners of the house.

The eight people arrested include Thevenin, 44, who was charged with first-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a felony; Bronx residents Americo Martinez, 46; Bienvenido Matos-Lopez, 31; Jose Martinez, 31; Nelvyn Severino, 21; Wilson Nunez, 43; and Juan Rivera-Escalante; and Adalgisa Baez, 45, of Brooklyn, were all charged third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a felony.

They were all remanded to the Westchester County jail in Valhalla.

The arrests resulted from a joint investigation by county police, the district attorney's office, New York City police and the federal Drug Enforcement Agency.