Thursday, October 1, 2026
Nassau County officials unveiled details Tuesday of what they described as one of the largest narcotics seizures in the history of the Nassau County Police Department, after a traffic stop in Plainview that led to the recovery of hundreds of kilograms of cocaine with a street value of roughly $20 million.
At Nassau County police headquarters in Mineola the drugs and news of the seizure was made public by County Executive Bruce Blakeman, Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder and District Attorney Anne Donnelly.
“This is one of the largest, if not the largest, drug busts we’ve ever had on Long Island,” Blakeman said. “Certainly one of the largest Nassau County police have had individually without the assistance fromfederal, state or local authorities.”
Authorities said the seizure occurred on Jan. 29, after detectives saw suspicious activity on Sunnyside Boulevard involving a black pickup truck occupied by two men. According to Ryder, officers believed they were witnessing a drug transaction after another vehicle briefly pulled alongside the truck before both vehicles drove off.
Police identified the suspects as Daniel Santana and Michael Viera. Investigators said both individuals have prior arrests for homicide in Puerto Rico. The two were taken into custody, and a search revealed nearly 312 kilograms of cocaine.
Ryder called the investigation ongoing and said authorities could not release additional details at this time.
“There will be more to come that we can’t discuss today,” he said.
Blakeman emphasized the broader impact of the seizure, linking it to a continued decline in fatal overdoses across Nassau County.
“Since 2023, we are down 50 percent in fatal overdoses, and we will continue to go down each year,” he said. “We are making a remarkable amount of progress when it comes to taking illegal drugs off the streets of Nassau County and the whole metropolitan area.”
Donnelly praised law enforcement for what she described as extraordinary work, calling the seizure the largest she has seen in more than three decades in the field.
“Looking at it here is staggering,” she said. “In my more than 35 years, this is the largest seizure I have seen. These drugs could have destroyed countless lives.”
Donnelly said both men were remanded after their arraignment and warned that additional charges are likely.
“We will be looking at upgrading these charges against these defendants, including operating as a major drug trafficker,” she said.
She added that investigators are working to determine where the drugs originated and where they were destined.
“These were going out onto the streets of Nassau County and elsewhere in the area,” Donnelly said. “They are being tested for everything that may or may not be in them.”
She also delivered a blunt warning to drug traffickers operating in the county.
“If you try to move drugs through this county, you won’t get far,” she said. “I promise you, what you will get is a date in front of a judge with one of my prosecutors.”
Officials said the investigation remains active, with additional arrests possible as law enforcement officials continue to trace the source and distribution network connected to the seized narcotics.
