Nassau County Police seize enough pure fentanyl to kill 2 million people

It's going to be a continuing problem unless we close our borders. We have crime rings that are operating here from south of the border. They're stealing cars, they are stealing catalytic converters, they're doing organized burglaries, and of course, they are dealing in very, very, very dangerous drugs.”

Bruce Blakeman, Nassau county executive

Officials referred to the three kilos of fentanyl seized by Nassau County police leading to the arrest of Bronx resident Juan Cruz, 50, as an "historic seizure of pure fentanyl." Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, Commissioner of Police Patrick J. Ryder and District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly discussed the investigation on Friday at a Mineola news conference, as well as another that led to three illegal firearm arrests on April 12.

The drugs, which came from Mexico and South America, are enough to kill over two million people — two thirds of the Long Island population, Blakeman said.

“It's going to be a continuing problem unless we close our borders,” Blakeman stated. “We have crime rings that are operating here from south of the border. They're stealing cars, they are stealing catalytic converters, they're doing organized burglaries. And of course, they are dealing in very, very, very dangerous drugs.”

Cruz, who is undocumented, was arraigned on April 13 in Nassau County District Court. He is being held without bail and is due back in court on April 17.

“This is very much an active investigation, and I'm extremely limited in what I can comment on,” Donnelly said.” What I will tell you this: Fentanyl is cheap and it's plentiful and it's coming into the county in droves. Defendants like Juan Cruz are peddling this poison in our neighborhoods to our children.”

Authorities initially had difficulty identifying and fingerprinting Cruz because he burned his fingerprints, which he said he did to avoid another deportation, his first being from 2012.