An investigation into interstate narcotics trafficking resulted in the seizure of around 20 kilograms (nearly 45 pounds) of cocaine worth more than $1 million from a Jeep Grand Cherokee in Yonkers on Wednesday, March 13, federal prosecutors said. Members of the New York Drug Enforcement Task Force (NYDETF) tracked the vehicle from Connecticut through The Bronx and Manhattan and into New Jersey, where it allegedly picked up the load of cocaine, before traveling north once again to Yonkers where it was intercepted.

 

Bridget G. Brennan, New York City’s Special Narcotics Prosecutor (SNP), Frank A. Tarentino III, special-agent-in-charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) New York division, NYPD Commissioner Edward A. Caban, New York State Police Acting Superintendent Steven G. James and Daniel B. Brubaker, inspector-in-charge of the New York division at the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, announced on Friday, March 15 that a 43-year-old man from Massachussets has also been arrested following his arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court.

 

Reacting to the seizure, Brennan said, “I commend the excellent investigative work that led to the law enforcement seizure of 45 pounds of cocaine, which will be destroyed before it can claim any lives. As cocaine production in Colombia reached record levels last year, we have seen surging supplies of it in our city, sometimes mixed with fentanyl and other dangerous substances.”

Federal prosecutors said Carlos Almonte Palmers of Worcestor, MA, was arrested on the night of March 13, and faces charges including one count of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the first degree and one count of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree. They said he was deported from New York to the Dominican Republic in 2022. At an arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court on March 14, they said a judge ordered him held without bail.

 

For his part, Tarentino said, “This investigation and arrest have resulted in a large seizure of cocaine destined for the Northeast. Drug traffickers use major highways and thruways to blend in with millions of travelers on the road, but instead of transporting a briefcase or luggage, Palmers was concealing one million dollars-worth of cocaine. I commend the New York Drug Enforcement Task Force and the NYC Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor on this investigation.”

 

Meanwhile, Caban said, “I thank all the members of NYDETF Group T-41 for the critical work they do each day and night to keep New Yorkers safe. NYPD investigators will continue to partner with our state and federal colleagues to target and disrupt individuals and organizations trafficking in illegal drugs.”

Prosecutors said the investigation, which was conducted by NYDETF Group T-41, comprised agents and officers from DEA New York division, the NYPD, and the New York State Police, with assistance from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service New York division.

 

The court heard that on Wednesday, March 13, at around 7 p.m., members of NYDETF Group T-41 conducted surveillance as the white Jeep Grand Cherokee, registered to Almonte Palmers in Massachusetts, traveled southbound on I-95 from the New York State/Connecticut border. The Jeep crossed into The Bronx and Manhattan, and then over the George Washington Bridge towards New Jersey.

 

At approximately 7:50 p.m., the Jeep allegedly stopped at the Alexander Hamilton Travel Plaza in Secaucus, N.J., and pulled beside a large tractor trailer. Approximately two minutes later, the Jeep drove away heading towards New York City. An hour later, agents and officers stopped the vehicle on the Major Deegan Expressway in Yonkers, after heading northbound through The Bronx.

Agents and officers observed a large duffel bag stuffed with rectangular objects that proved to be 20 kilograms of narcotics. A field test indicated the presence of cocaine. The results of DEA analysis of the narcotics are pending.

 

James also shared his reaction to the seizure, saying, “The charges against this individual speak volumes to the tremendous multiagency coordination and cooperation used to get illegal drugs off our streets. Together, we have dismantled a dangerous cocaine trafficking operation and have stopped the infiltration of this illegal substance into the community. I want to thank our members and law enforcement partners for their tenacious dedication to tracking illegal drugs and intercepting them at their source.”

 

For his part, Brubaker said, “The arrest of Carlos Almonte Palmers for drug trafficking and the seizure of cocaine is a testament to our dedication to end the proliferation of any illegal narcotics onto our streets.  This critical work will continue alongside our law enforcement partners as we pool our investigative resources together to keep our communities safe from dangerous and illegal drugs.”

 

Brennan thanked Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark, and commended SNP’s special investigations bureau, DEA New York division, the New York Drug Enforcement Task Force, the NYPD, the New York State Police, and the New York division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service for their work on the investigation.

 

Palmers is deemed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.