L.B. man sentenced to four years in prison for selling heroin

Convicted following drug deal at Shore Road apartment building

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A Long Beach man was sentenced to four years in state prison on Thursday, after he plead guilty to selling heroin to undercover narcotics detectives at a Shore Road apartment building last month.

Bruce Ficklin, 45, was arrested on Nov. 18 and charged with two counts of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell.

According to Police Commissioner Michael Tangney, the Long Beach Narcotics Task Force initiated an investigation into heroin and cocaine sales out of the 261 Shore Rd. apartment building earlier this year in response to numerous complaints from neighbors and confidential tips.

Long Beach narcotics detectives arrested Ficklin last month after a lengthy investigation, Tangney said.

The case was prosecuted by the Nassau County district attorney’s office. On Thursday, Ficklin plead guilty in Nassau County Court to third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. He was sentenced to up to four years in prison and has to pay the Police Department restitution for the money used to buy the heroin.

“The Long Beach police force, under Commissioner Tangney’s leadership, has done a tremendous job keeping illicit drugs off the streets,” City Council President Scott Mandel said in a statement. “Our detectives should certainly be commended.”

Police said that additional narcotic arrests were made in connection with 261 Shore Rd., and those cases are still pending.

A week after Ficklin was arrested, Nassau County police arrested a mother and her son on Nov. 26 after they allegedly sold heroin to an undercover agent from their apartment at 261 Shore Rd.

And in October, a city employee was arrested on felony drug charges after she allegedly sold heroin while working as a part-time clerk at the city’s bus depot. That arrest came after the Long Beach Police Department launched an investigation into heroin dealers in the area in response to a series of local drug overdoses.

The drug arrests come at a time when police and local community groups are working to address what they call a growing heroin epidemic.