Crystal Meth Worth $2M Seized In Washington Heights Bust: DEA

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY — An accused North Carolina drug dealer was arrested after trying to sell a suitcase full of crystal meth to an undercover agent in Washington Heights, prosecutors announced.

Juvenal Andrade-Mora had nearly 50 pounds of crystal meth worth about $2 million when he was arrested on West 155th Street near Broadway about 12:35 p.m. Wednesday, the Office of Special Narcotics for the City of New York said.

Andrade-Mora was released without bail the next day because meth is legally a controlled substance, not a narcotic, and not eligible for charges that demand bail, prosecutors said.

NYPD Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell counted the seizure of the addictive substance as a victory, she said in a statement.

"Illegal drugs like the ones seized in this investigation poison our communities and destroy lives," NYPD Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell said in a news release. "Our department works day and night to rid our streets of these toxins, and we vow to bring anyone who peddles them to justice."

Undercover agents tracked Andrade-Mora from North Carolina to Flushing, Queens, where he dished out one kilogram of crystal meth to the agent on Monday, according to a press release from the Office of Special Narcotics.

During that meet-up, Andrade-Mora and the undercover agent set up a second meeting for the sale of another 19 kilograms — or $220,000 worth — of crystal meth, said the Office of Special Narcotics.

Agents then tracked Andrade-Mora's return to North Carolina by bus, a visit to Atlanta, and then his return to New York City on Wednesday, prosecutors said.

The day of his arrest, Andrade-Mora told the undercover officer to pick up a black suitcase in front of a nearby Washington Heights building, and said there were drugs inside of it, according to the Office of Special Narcotics.

The undercover officer grabbed the bag and other law enforcement agents arrested Andrade-Mora on the spot, according to prosecutors.

The suitcase contained two bigger plastic bags, each with several smaller ones inside that contained a white, crystal-like substance, the Office of Special Narcotics said.

The overall package weighed roughly 21 kilograms and field testing indicated that the substance was crystal meth, but laboratory test results are still pending, according to prosecutors.

Investigators believe the crystal meth originated in Mexico and has a street value of over $2 million, prosecutors said.

Special Prosecutor Bridget Brennan warned that there has been a worrisome uptick in the amount of crystal meth moving into New York City.

“[Methamphetamine] is driving up overdose deaths across the country," Brennan said. "The increased volume of methamphetamine coming into our city is astonishing."