When you nail a drug bust that would have been big enough to give everyone in the city of New York a hit of heroin you have a right to feel a tad chuffed. The US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) are currently engaged in a healthy dose of back-slapping but, to be fair, this round is well-deserved.

Federal agents in New York found 70 kilograms of heroin, smuggled in from Mexico and packaged in one kilogram bundles labelled ‘Rolex’, under the floor of a Chevrolet Suburban in the Bronx. Here’s Sky News:

Special narcotics prosecutor Bridget Brennan said: “This load was so large it carried the potential of supplying a dose of heroin to every man, woman and child in New York City.”

Two suspects – Jose Mercedes and Yenci Cruz Francisco – were arrested and charged with trafficking and criminal possession. Both were denied bail.

The bust was a result of much hard work, with the DEA having listened in on wiretaps and caught wind of a large drug shipment arriving shortly. The men were then followed and, once the sniffer dogs had confirmed the presence of narcotics, the defendants gave up the hidden stash.

The heroin has a street value of around $70 million (R836 million) and is a clear indicator that the city’s demand for the drug has risen steadily.

Somewhere in Mexico there is a very angry drug lord. The safest place for the men arrested may well be within the confines of prison.

[source:sky]