Photo by David Greene
An apparent, erroneous call placed with the emergency services about a person who was allegedly shot prompted an arrest of an individual for drug sales in Bedford Park.
At about 9:15 a.m. on Friday, April 2, officers from the 52nd precinct who were responding to the report of the alleged shooting, duly arrived at 2974 Valentine Avenue in Bedford Park.
A half dozen police vehicles briefly shut down Valentine Avenue, between East 201st Street and East Bedford Park Boulevard, as officers entered the five-story Valentine Avenue building. Two ambulances also responded to the call. Police later emerged from the building with a suspect.
Photo by David Greene
Further to some follow-up inquiries placed with police regarding the incident, late Friday, a source at One Police Plaza [NYPD headquarters] told the Norwood News, “Police responded to a 911 call of a crime in progress at the location.”
The police source continued, “Upon further investigation, the suspect was found to be in possession of (an) alleged, controlled substance.”
Photo by David Greene
It was confirmed that police arrested Justen Marrero, 21, of Echo Place in the Mount Hope section of the Bronx. Marrero was charged with both criminal possession of a controlled substance and criminal sale of a controlled substance.
Photo by David Greene
The police source could not immediately say what type or the amount of the drug that was confiscated. Neither had they any information about a white Porsche SUV with New Jersey plates that appears to have been seized and confiscated from Valentine Avenue by officers shortly after Marrero’s arrest.
On March 30, New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo approved legislation which would legalize the recreational use of marijuana by adults in New York State. However, as reported by The Gothamist, the sponsors of the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA) say that it will take a considerable amount of time for the regulatory system for legal cannabis to be created and for licenses to be issued.
In the Q&A-style story, the following questions were asked and answered, “What if I’m selling marijuana now? Can I keep selling it?” It was reported that it is a violation to sell any amount of marijuana unlawfully under the MRTA, but that harsh penalties for selling lower amounts have been removed.
Eli Northrup, policy counsel for The Bronx Defenders, was quoted as saying, “Because there’s no regulated market, you would be subject to a criminal violation and a fine of up to $250, if you sell any amount under 3 ounces. Anything more than that is a misdemeanor.”
It is unknown what type of controlled substance Marrero was arrested for selling.
All calls are strictly confidential.
*Síle Moloney contributed to this story.
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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.
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