Florida men plead not guilty in 312-kilo Plainview cocaine bust
Daniel Santana, 36, and Michael Viera, 41, were indicted on major trafficker charges following their January arrest outside the Holiday Inn in Plainview.
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Two Florida men accused of trafficking hundreds of kilos of cocaine pleaded not guilty Thursday after prosecutors say detectives caught them with suitcases of the drug in a Plainview hotel parking lot.
Daniel Santana, 36, and Michael Viera, 41, were indicted on major trafficker charges following their January arrest outside the Holiday Inn in Plainview.
The pair were taken into custody after Nassau County detectives allegedly discovered suitcases filled with cocaine inside a Dodge Ram pickup truck during an investigation outside the Holiday Inn on Sunnyside Boulevard, according to District Attorney Anne Donnelly.
Prosecutors say detectives saw Viera transfer a large suitcase from the truck and hand a package to the driver of a Mercedes-Benz Maybach SUV.
Officials say when officers approached the pickup, Viera and Santana were standing near an open rear passenger-side door before allegedly slamming it shut and walking away.
Police say they found an open suitcase inside the truck with dozens of black plastic-wrapped, brick-shaped packages consistent with kilogram quantities of narcotics. A search later uncovered additional suitcases and cocaine bricks hidden throughout the vehicle.
Laboratory testing later confirmed the substances were cocaine, authorities said. In total, investigators recovered 312 kilograms of cocaine from the truck and suitcases, according to prosecutors.
“This was undoubtedly one of the largest seizures of cocaine that I have been a part of in my career as a prosecutor and I thank the Nassau County Police Department for their tremendous work shutting down what could have been a very lucrative and very dangerous operation in our communities," Donnelly said.
If convicted, both men face up to 25 years to life in prison.
